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The Supreme Court connected Monday (October 27, 2025) took beardown objection to the nonaccomplishment of respective States and Union Territories to comply with its August 22 directive mandating that stray dogs beryllium released into the localities from which they were captured, pursuing sterilisation, deworming, and immunisation.
A three-judge Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N.V. Anjaria summoned the Chief Secretaries of each States and Union Territories, but West Bengal, Telangana, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), to personally look earlier the tribunal connected November 3 and explicate wherefore compliance affidavits had not been filed detailing steps taken to instrumentality the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, framed nether the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
Editorial | Practising compassion: On the stray dogs issue, Court order
“Pursuant to the bid dated August 22, 2025, lone 3 compliance affidavits person been filed. Although the aforesaid are not connected record, arsenic they were filed during the Deepavali vacations. These States are West Bengal, Telangana, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. Notices person been issued to each States and Union Territories. As they person not responded, fto the Chief Secretaries of each the States different than these 3 stay contiguous earlier this Court connected adjacent Monday astatine 10.30 a.m. on with their respective explanations arsenic to wherefore compliance affidavits person not been filed,” the Bench ordered.
The Bench besides pointed retired that nary typical from the remaining States oregon Union Territories was contiguous during the hearing. Expressing displeasure implicit the deficiency of compliance, Justice Nath remarked, “Eight weeks’ clip was granted successful August. Today it is 27th October, nary response, nothing.”
Justice Nath further questioned wherefore the Delhi authorities had failed to taxable its compliance report. “Why has the authorities of the National Capital Territory of Delhi not filed its affidavit? Chief Secretary to travel up with an explanation... different outgo whitethorn beryllium imposed and coercive steps volition beryllium taken...” helium said.
In its August 22 order, the tribunal had modified its earlier suo motu directive requiring civic authorities successful Delhi and 4 adjoining districts to seizure each stray dogs and confine them successful shelters wrong six to 8 weeks. Terming its August 11 bid “too harsh”, the Bench had subsequently directed that the animals beryllium released into the localities from which they were captured aft undergoing sterilisation, deworming, and immunisation.
However, it had clarified that this relaxation would not use to dogs infected oregon suspected to beryllium infected with rabies, oregon those displaying assertive behaviour. “Such dogs shall beryllium sterilised and immunised, but nether nary circumstances should they beryllium released backmost connected the streets. As acold arsenic possible, they shall beryllium housed successful abstracted pounds oregon shelters aft sterilisation and immunisation,” the Bench had observed, describing its revised attack arsenic a “balancing exercise.”
The tribunal had further directed municipal authorities to acceptable up dedicated feeding zones successful each ward to guarantee that nary inconvenience is caused owed to the feeding of strays successful nationalist spaces. It had noted that specified regularisation was warranted successful presumption of “untoward incidents” caused by unregulated feeding, which had created “great difficulties for the communal antheral walking connected the streets.”
Civic bodies had besides been instructed to found a helpline for reporting violations and to instrumentality “appropriate measures” against individuals oregon NGOs recovered successful breach of the directions. The Bench had made it wide that anyone obstructing a nationalist servant acting successful compliance with its orders would look punitive action.
Notably, the Bench had expanded the scope of the proceedings beyond the Delhi–National Capital Region, directing that the substance beryllium treated arsenic a pan-India contented to facilitate the framing of a azygous nationalist policy. It had accordingly ordered the impleadment of Secretaries of the applicable departments of each States and Union Territories successful the proceedings.
In addition, idiosyncratic petitioners and NGOs were directed to deposit ₹25,000 and ₹2 lakh, respectively, with the Supreme Court Registry wrong 7 days, failing which they would beryllium barred from further participation.
The suo motu lawsuit had initially been heard by a Bench led by Justice J.B. Pardiwala but was aboriginal reassigned by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai to a three-judge Bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath. The reassignment had followed an oral mentioning connected August 13, 2025, by a lawyer who had apprised the CJI of a May 9, 2024, bid mandating compassionate attraction of stray canines. In a uncommon administrative step, the CJI had withdrawn the lawsuit from Justice Pardiwala’s Bench and reassigned it to the Bench led by Justice Nath.
