In an amended ruling on stray dog management, the Supreme Court of India declared that public feeding on roadways will no longer be allowed and that civic organizations like the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) must establish authorized feeding areas. While examining a previous court order, a three-judge panel made up of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria clarified five important directives. All such ongoing cases will now be sent to the top court for a single policy, as part of the court’s larger effort to standardize stray dog welfare and control throughout India.
The Supreme Court’s Five Main Directions:1. Vaccination and Release: After being vaccinated and sterilised, stray dogs must be returned to the same location from which they were collected. Aggressive or rabies-infected dogs, however, will receive vaccinations but not be allowed to go. 2. No Roadside Feeding: It is forbidden to feed stray dogs on public roads. The purpose of this regulation is to avoid confrontations, accidents, and health risks associated with roadside feeding. 3. Legal Action Against Violators: According to the court, anyone caught feeding stray dogs in public areas would be subject to legal prosecution under the relevant legislation. 4. Designated Feeding Zones: Taking into account the local stray dog population, civic bodies are required to create specific sites for feeding strays in each municipal ward. 5. Public Notice Boards: To inform the public that stray dogs should only be fed in certain approved locations, prominent signs must be erected close to feeding zones.
Animal protection organizations and celebrities have reacted negatively to the court’s earlier decision to remove all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR. Finding a balance between animal rights and public safety is the goal of the updated order. Justice Nath emphasized that in order to provide a humane but controlled approach to stray dog management nationwide, municipal authorities must now closely adhere to these updated recommendations.
