Days after widespread public backlash against the Supreme Court’s August 11 directive, which mandated relocating all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR streets to shelters within eight weeks, the court issued a modified ruling on Friday. It now requires that stray dogs be sterilised, vaccinated and returned to the exact locations from which they were taken, except those displaying rabies symptoms or aggressive behaviour. Supreme Court has modified its earlier order, of August 11, which had directed relocation of all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to shelters. It has provided some relief to the animal lovers who have been protesting across India. (Photo: Arun Sankar/AFP and Sanchit Khanna/HT )

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The revised order, hailed as a “scientific judgement” by animal rights advocates, also bans public feeding and directs authorities to create designated feeding zones instead.

“Today’s decision by the three-judge bench renews focus on the Animal Birth Control Rules 2023 and will result in better population control, reduction in rabies cases and improved relations between dogs and humans but only if municipalities designate ample feeding spaces on every lane. Feeders are vital in creating happy dogs who are easier to handle for treatment, sterilisations and vaccinations.” – Shaurya Agrawal, Advocacy Associate, PETA India

The modification has brought some relief to animal lovers and rights groups. “We welcome the relief provided by the Supreme Court that there will be no relocation of dogs to shelters,” says Ambika Shukla, animal rights activist and trustee of People for Animals (PFA). “Relocation is actually a precondition for bite cases, and this is why it has been forbidden by the ABC Rules, which are endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO),” shares Shukla, emphasising that dogs picked up over the past 10 days must now be returned to their original areas. “Going forward, animal bodies must be treated as stakeholders and involved in decision making towards finding effective, long-term solutions,” she adds.

Animal lovers, at Jantar Mantar, react after the Supreme Court’s verdict on stray dogs, in New Delhi on Friday.(Photo: Karma Bhutia/PTI)

Meanwhile, the protests are expected to continue at Jantar Mantar, in the Capital, as several animal lovers feel that the modification in the judgement is “impractical” since Delhi-NCR has a population of approximately “10 lakh stray dogs” and the figure is raising questions whether the municipality has the “manpower and bandwidth to create designated feeding spots for so many strays”. Anticipating clashes between animal lovers and feeders, Anupam Mehta, founder of Touch And Treat Animal Trust, says, “SC has imposed a fine of ₹25,000 on those found feeding strays outside the designated spots. But the fine for anyone found guilty under animal cruelty is only ₹50. Hence, we are continuing protest with #NoMore50 campaign, so that after eight weeks when SC hears the plea again, it considers removal of fine on feeders.”

What happened on August 11?

A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan ordered Delhi’s municipal authorities to begin relocating all stray dogs, and establish shelters with an initial capacity of at least 5,000 dogs within eight weeks. This order also prohibited the re-release of dogs back to the streets, mandated sterilisation, immunisation and deworming. Alongside, the shelters were required to be equipped with CCTV, adequate staff, food, and medical care.

It further required the creation of a helpline, within a week, to report any incidents of dog bites, and capturing of offending dogs within four hours of a complaint as well as publication of monthly rabies vaccination and treatment data.

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