NEW DELHI – The ongoing issue of stray dogs in India continues to draw strong opinions from all sides. At its heart, there is a pressing need to protect animals while ensuring the safety of people. The Recent decision from the Supreme Court of India, especially in the Animal Welfare Board of India & Anr v. People for Elimination of Stray Troubles & Ors case, has put fresh attention on this debate.
With over 60 million stray dogs on India’s streets, more than anywhere else in the world, the court aims to address public worries about packs of strays, rabies outbreaks, and dogs feeding from rubbish heaps. The court has also confirmed strong legal safeguards to prevent the unnecessary killing of stray dogs.
Supreme Court’s Key Decision
On July 12, 2024, the Supreme Court brought closure to a 15-year-old case first filed by the Animal Welfare Board of India against the People for Elimination of Stray Troubles.
The court’s decision cemented the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, and the revised Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, as the leading laws in the country on this issue, even above state or local regulations.
Judges ruled that local bodies may not kill stray dogs at will and must adopt humane sterilization as the main method to control numbers. The ruling highlighted the duty of all citizens—based on Article 51A(g) of the Indian Constitution—to treat living creatures kindly, and called recent culling practices both “unscientific” and “barbaric”.
This decision followed a series of petitions, mainly from cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Kerala, that stressed the dangers of stray dog attacks. In late July 2025, the Supreme Court reacted to media reports about Delhi’s high rate of dog bites, which averaged 2,000 incidents a day.
Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan made it clear that the Delhi government and its Municipal Corporation must put the safety of vulnerable people, especially children and older adults, above all, and do so while still upholding animal welfare standards.
Challenges from Packs of Stray Dogs and Rabies
With 60 million dogs, India faces continued problems with street dogs forming packs. These groups, commonly found in city areas with easy access to food, are often aggressive and have been linked to several attacks.
Data from Delhi’s Safdarjung and Ram Manohar Lohia hospitals shows nearly 48,000 dog bites in just six months.
In Kerala, recorded dog bite cases reached over 190,000 last year, with 21 deaths caused by rabies. Across India, 36% of the world’s rabies deaths occur here, as do two-thirds of such cases in South-East Asia, with 6,644 suspected human rabies cases reported between 2012 and 2022.
Packs thrive around overflowing rubbish, which serves as their main food supply in many cities. Poor waste systems mean open dumps attract strays, giving them easy food and space to breed. This results in more conflicts between people and dogs, as packs can become bold and defensive near homes and markets.
The Supreme Court recognized the link between waste and stray dog numbers and said culling is not the answer. Instead, the court ordered better waste handling, with strict sterilization and vaccination plans overseen by the Animal Welfare Board of India.
Legal Protection for Stray Dogs
Laws such as the PCA Act, 1960, and the ABC Rules, 2023, form the cornerstone of dog protection in India. These rules ban the killing of healthy stray dogs, allowing euthanasia only in cases where a vet confirms a dog is terminally sick or mortally injured.
In those cases, the law requires humane methods, such as sodium pentathol for adults or thiopental for puppies, and never in front of other dogs. The ABC Rules also say that dogs caught for sterilization should be returned to their original streets, reinforcing their right to remain.
The Supreme Court confirmed that national laws take priority over local orders that allow culling, resolving past conflicts from high court rulings that gave local bodies more power to kill strays.
The 2024 verdict strongly stated that such actions violate the main animal protection laws. Any challenges to these rules now have to go to the high courts. Animal welfare groups welcomed the clear protection for dogs, but some community members and civic authorities claimed the move ties their hands when public safety is at risk.
The Debate on Feeding Stray Dogs
Feeding stray dogs in public spaces has sparked heated debate. Many people feed strays out of kindness, but it has sometimes led to more run-ins between people and packs.
In 2022, the Supreme Court told councils to create designated spots for feeding dogs, to reduce nuisance and make sure feeders could be held responsible if safety problems followed. The court said authorities should keep track of who feeds strays and take action when necessary under municipal rules.
Later, the Supreme Court lifted a block on a 2021 Delhi High Court decision that confirmed stray dogs have a right to be fed and people have a right to feed them, as long as it’s done safely.
The court added that feeding should be responsible and should not cause problems or break city laws. In Nagpur, the High Court said those wishing to feed stray dogs should either adopt them, feed them at shelters or on their property rather than on the street.
Sterilization, Vaccination and Public Awareness
The Supreme Court’s guidance made clear that sterilization and anti-rabies vaccination remain the only proven ways to control street dog populations and fight rabies.
The ABC Rules, 2023, urge city governments to work with the AWBI to set up solid sterilization and vaccination plans. The court has told state governments to provide regular reports on bite incidents, sterilization campaigns and vaccination progress, aiming for clear tracking and coordination.
Public education plays an important part in reducing human-dog conflicts. The court has called for campaigns to teach responsible pet care, the need for sterilizing strays, and better treatment of street dogs.
Improving waste management, enforcing ABC Rules more strictly, and creating local committees to deal with dog bite claims are among the steps ordered to help manage the situation.
In Kerala, for example, the High Court put off a plan to allow the killing of sick strays, and instead told the state to set up district committees for both victim help and dog management.
Obstacles and Opposition
Though the court’s decisions give clear direction, progress has been slow. Lack of funding and basic facilities often hampers sterilization drives, and many local bodies say they don’t have the resources for large-scale plans.
Some animal welfare groups criticize orders that require moving strays to shelters, saying this breaks ABC Rules. Online, activists often claim the Supreme Court rulings ignore parliamentary law, though this remains unsettled.
Meanwhile, people living in areas with frequent attacks argue that sterilization alone does not solve immediate safety problems. The court has recognized this worry and stressed the need to balance safety with compassion, but some locals remain unhappy with the current limitations.
The Supreme Court’s stance on stray dogs represents a strong attempt to balance the interests of animals and people. Upholding the PCA Act and ABC Rules, the court has protected stray dogs from widespread killing, with sterilization and vaccination at the core of efforts to manage their numbers.
Practical challenges like dog packs, rabies, and rubbish-driven breeding will need continued action and community support. As India works through this complex issue, the court’s approach relies on scientific solutions, a sense of responsibility, and cooperation at every level, with the goal of keeping citizens and street dogs safe.
