DELHI, India—After hearing all parties, a three-judge bench in the Supreme Court of India, comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria, pronounced its final judgment in the suomotu case on street dogs. The Apex Court reaffirmed that there must be urgent and effective implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, including the development of infrastructure and veterinary care services. Observing that the ABC framework has existed since 2001 and was further strengthened through an amendment to the Rules in 2023, the Court noted a “discernible absence of sustained, systematic and incremental efforts” by authorities to build the necessary sterilization, vaccination and animal welfare infrastructure. The Court stated that implementation across jurisdictions has remained inconsistent, reactive and lacking in institutional continuity, significantly undermining the effectiveness of the program.
Noting reports of conflict across various States, and in the interest of public safety and animal welfare, the Court directed all States and Union Territories to urgently strengthen and expand ABC infrastructure, including establishment of at least one fully functional ABC center in every district, expansion of sterilization and vaccination capacity, training of personnel, and efforts to ensurethe availability of anti-rabies vaccines and immunoglobulin in government medical facilities.
Alokparna Sengupta, managing director at Humane World for Animals India, says: "We urge all State governments and municipal bodies to undertake systematic and scientific sterilization and vaccination programs along with community engagement and participation. Particularly, we urge the establishment of at least one fully functional ABC center in every district across the country, to expand ABC capacity in proportion to population density, and to ensure the presence of trained personnel and adequate availability of anti-rabies vaccinations. We are hopeful that the States and the UTs [Union Territories] will not resort to measures that are beyond the scope of established law and scientific processes, such as removal or culling of dogs, leading to overpopulation and further conflict. We have offered our support to all States, and we stand ready to partner with the authorities in the implementation of the Animal Birth Control Rules 2023.”
The matter traces back to Aug. 11, 2025, when the Supreme Court, of its own accord, first took up the issue of street dogs in New Delhi. In November, the court ordered the removal of street dogs from public institutions such as schools and transport hubs. The order called for all street dogs across India to be rounded up, sterilized, and then permanently confined in shelters rather than returned to their original territories, in contravention of the ABC Rules, 2023.
This interim order sparked widespread concern among animal protection organizations, veterinarians, caregivers, community feeders and legal experts, who warned that such measures would undermine India’s longstanding legal framework for humane dog population management.
In response, Humane World for Animals India, with other key parties, filed a legal petition seeking to overturn the order on the basis that there is no scientific or evidence-based benefit to removing dogs from their territories. On the contrary, such actions disrupt stable dog populations, fail to improve public safety and directly contradict existing law, scientific evidence and international best practices.
Humane World for Animals works across the globe to improve the welfare of street, community and companion dogs and cats. The organization promotes humane, sustainable approaches to reduce street animal populations and support peaceful coexistence with people, offering solutions in place of lethal or inhumane methods. Humane World for Animals also works to increase access to care for companion animals in underserved communities, help people care for their animals and prevent cruelty and abandonment. This work is advanced in North America and countries including South Africa, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Romania andBolivia as well as in India where we have successfully run humane street dog population management programs in major cities since 2013, sterilizing 250,000 and vaccinating more than 400,000 street dogs in that time.
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