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The Supreme Court has permitted authorities to euthanise rabid, incurably ill or demonstrably dangerous free-ranging dogs under statutory protocols.
The court maintained its earlier directions banning street feeding and requiring dedicated feeding spots for dogs.
States and union territories have been asked to set up at least one fully functional Animal Birth Control centre in each district.
The court also directed authorities to ensure adequate anti-rabies vaccines, immunoglobulin and public health response mechanisms for dog-bite cases.
PETA India criticised the confinement of community dogs, saying it could institutionalise cruelty and divert resources from sterilisation and vaccination.
The Supreme Court of India has allowed authorities to euthanise rabid and aggressive free-ranging dogs under statutory protocols, as it upheld earlier directions on removing dogs from public places and creating designated feeding spots.
“Authorities may, in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules and other applicable statutory protocols, take legally permissible measures, including euthanasia in cases involving incurably ill, rabid or demonstrably dangerous/aggressive dogs to effectively cure the threat posed to human life and safety,” the court ordered, according to legal news website LiveLaw.
The bench of Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice NV Anjaria also maintained its earlier directions banning the feeding of dogs on streets and requiring dedicated feeding spots to be allotted for the animals.
SC had taken up the matter suo motu after taking note of news reports of free-ranging dogs attacking children and adults, especially elderly people. It described the reports as “deeply disturbing”.
The latest directions came after dog lovers and animal rights groups filed multiple applications seeking recall of the judgment.
In August 2025, the Supreme Court had directed that all free-ranging dogs be removed from localities, an order that was stayed 11 days later. In November 2025, it ordered that the dogs be removed from schools, hospitals and other institutional areas.
The court had reserved its judgment after hearing pleas from dog lovers and rights groups on January 29, 2026.
SC also issued additional orders to ensure effective implementation of its earlier directions, LiveLaw reported. It said dogs once picked up from public places should not be returned to the original spot after vaccination or sterilisation.
The new directions said states and Union Territories should take coordinated and time-bound steps to enhance and augment the required infrastructure under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) framework.
“Ensure establishment of at least one fully functional ABC centre in each district duly equipped with requisite infrastructure and trained personnel, surgical facilities and supporting logistics,” the court said, according to LiveLaw. It added that, having regard to the population density and territorial extent of each district, a decision should be taken on expanding the number of ABC centres.
“States and union territories shall take all necessary measures to implement the earlier directions for removal of dogs from public places in letter as well as in spirit without delay or dilution,” LiveLaw quoted the court as saying.
These directions would extend to other public places with high population density, high footfall and public utility, such as places of public transit and gathering, to guarantee a safe and secure environment for the public, SC further said.
It said the decision had been taken after careful assessment of ground realities, public safety and the functional characteristics of such places.
SC also directed other capacity-building measures, including training of personnel, augmentation of veterinary services, strengthening of shelters and vaccination drives in coordination with relevant authorities.
SC directed states and union territories to ensure adequate availability of anti-rabies vaccines and immunoglobulin in all government medical facilities. It also directed them to put in place an effective public health response mechanism to deal with dog-bite cases.
The apex court said the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), in coordination with the states and Union Territories concerned, should formulate and implement a comprehensive and time-bound mechanism to address the presence of stray and other animals on national highways and expressways.
This would include the deployment of specialised transport vehicles for safe handling and relocation of street cattle and other animals, the creation or earmarking of appropriate holding and shelter facilities, and arrangements with animal welfare organisations for safe handling and relocation.
The court added that authorities may, in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules and other applicable statutory protocols, take legally permissible measures, including euthanasia in cases involving incurably ill, rabid or demonstrably dangerous or aggressive dogs, to effectively address the threat posed to human life and safety.
Ensuring protection for implementing authorities, the court said concerned officers engaged in the task would be granted protection. “No FIR or criminal proceeding shall be ordinarily initiated against the officers in respect of bona fide action undertaken for the purpose of implementing directions of this court, except when a prima facie case of mala fide and gross abuse of authority is made out,” the court said.
In a statement, PETA India said the Supreme Court had “rightly acknowledged that the current community dog population is attributable wholly to consistent institutional failure at every level to implement the Animal Birth Control Rules since 2001”.
It added that PETA India was committed to exploring legal remedies and appealing to authorities to ensure that resources were focused on implementation of the Animal Birth Control Rules.
The organisation also said it would appeal for “better sense to prevail” regarding the Animal Welfare Board of India, or AWBI, standard operating procedure and any killing of dogs.
PETA said the AWBI standard operating procedure upheld by the court recommends rounding up community dogs from various places and confining them for life in enclosures of 20 square feet per animal — approximately the size of a traditional funeral pyre. It described this as “a fitting metaphor”, saying that incarcerating dogs in such shelters was tantamount to sentencing them to death.
“PETA India has long warned caging dogs like this would institutionalise cruelty, increase the risk of zoonotic and other disease, divert public resources away from the requirements of the Animal Birth Control Rules 2023 — i.e. sterilisation and vaccination against rabies — and inevitably collapse under its own weight,” the statement said.
The organisation said that, with an estimated 62 million free-roaming dogs in India, there was no infrastructure, funding or administrative capacity to confine even a fraction of the population without causing mass suffering and public-health risks.
