Stray Dogs Verdict: LIVE UPDATES from Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is pronouncing its verdict in the case concerning stray dogs in Delhi.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria is pronouncing the verdict.

The issue concerning stray dogs has hogged the limelight in the national capital for the past few weeks after the a Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan on August 11 ordered the municipal authorities in Delhi to begin rounding up stray dogs from all areas, prioritising vulnerable localities, and to establish shelters with an initial capacity of at least 5,000 dogs within eight weeks.

The order prohibited the re-release of dogs back to the streets, mandated sterilisation, immunisation and de-worming, and required that shelters be equipped with CCTV, adequate staff, food and medical care.

It further required the creation of a helpline within a week to report dog bites, capture of offending dogs within four hours of a complaint and publication of monthly rabies vaccination and treatment data.

Any obstruction to the exercise by animal activists would be treated as contempt of court.

The Court passed the August 11 order in a suo motu case. It observed that the menace of dog bites violates the fundamental rights of citizens under Articles 19(1)(d) and 21, noting that over 25,000 such cases were reported in Delhi in 2024 and more than 3,000 in January 2025 alone.

The Court in that order also slammed animal activists and cautioned against “virtue signalling” by animal lovers that ignored the core problem.

The order prompted widespread protests by animal rights activists.

Later, the matter was mentioned before Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai, with submissions that there were overlapping Supreme Court proceedings on stray dogs before different benches, raising the possibility of conflicting directions.

The Chief Justice assured that the issue would be examined, and the case was directed to be listed before a new three-judge Bench.

Subsequently, the present three-judge Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria heard the matter and reserved its order on pleas challenging the August 11 order.

Live Updates from judgment pronouncement feature here.