Supreme Court revises ruling on stray dogs, scraps shelter relocation

Anabelle Colaco
25 Aug 2025, 22:39 GMT+10

India’s Supreme Court on August 22 amended an earlier order on stray dogs, ruling that animals picked up in Delhi and surrounding suburbs should be released back into the same area after sterilisation and vaccination, rather than moved permanently to shelters
The case reached the top court after animal welfare groups challenged its previous directive requiring authorities to relocate strays to shelters, a move that came in response to rising rabies cases
That earlier decision drew sharp criticism from activists and veterinarians, who argued that India lacks the infrastructure and resources to house and treat such large numbers of dogs

NEW DELHI, India: India's Supreme Court has amended an earlier order on stray dogs, ruling that animals picked up in Delhi and surrounding suburbs should be released back into the same area after sterilisation and vaccination, rather than moved permanently to shelters.

The case reached the top court after animal welfare groups challenged its previous directive requiring authorities to relocate strays to shelters, a move that came in response to rising rabies cases, particularly among children.

That earlier decision drew sharp criticism from activists and veterinarians, who argued that India lacks the infrastructure and resources to house and treat such large numbers of dogs. Concerns were also raised about the welfare of animals placed in overcrowded or underfunded shelters.

Animal lovers staged protests across the capital following the initial order, warning that mass relocation could both harm the dogs and worsen the problem by breaking established community control of packs.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Bristol Star.

More Information

null in null

United Kingdom

Section

"Tarnishing our religion": Karnataka LoP R Ashoka slams Siddaramaiah over Mysore Dasara inauguration by Banu Mushtaq

Koppal (Karnataka) [India], August 25 (ANI): Karnataka Leader of Opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA R Ashoka on Monday...

Strength forged in caves -- how Chinese communists led people's war against Japan's invasion

YAN'AN, Shaanxi Province, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Even though Yan'an, located in northwest China's Loess Plateau, remains a relatively...

Ex-Ukrainian commander biding time to challenge Zelensky Guardian

A recent poll shows that Valery Zaluzhny, currently Kievs ambassador to London, is more popular than Vladimir Zelensky There is an...

EU could resume ties with Russia Finland

Limited relations could be restored once a lasting peace in Ukraine is achieved, President Alexander Stubb has said EU countries...

EU-Russia ties cant be fully repaired Finland

Relations can be fixed only to a limited extent once there is a lasting peace in Ukraine, President Alexander Stubb has said EU countries...

RTI not meant for sensationalism, says Delhi HC; bars public disclosure of PM Modi's degree, Smriti Irani's school records

New Delhi [India], August 25 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Monday stated that the Right to Information (RTI) Act was enacted to ensure...

International

Section