One Million Stray Dogs in Delhi Regain Right to Roam After Supreme Court Verdict

Supreme Court Verdict: India’s Supreme Court ordered the release of all stray dogs that were removed from New Delhi streets after sterilisation and immunisation, following an increase in the number of people bitten by dogs.

The court’s ruling Friday modified its earlier judgment by ordering the dogs to be released to the same localities they were removed. The order also calls for designated feeding spaces across the capital.

Animal lovers and activists had appealed against the August 11 order to relocate the dogs to shelters permanently.

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While many dogs in New Delhi streets are harmless, the court order was to control the rising number of biting cases, including those involving children. Some hospital records suggest New Delhi sees nearly 2,000 dog bite cases every day.

Rabies through dog bites, is a virus that enters the central nervous system and is almost always fatal if left untreated.

There were 49 cases of rabies in New Delhi from January 2025 to July 2025 but it was not clear if all of them were due to dog bites.

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The court’s order Friday directed the dogs to be released to the same areas from where they were removed and asked for designated feeding points across the city. The order does not apply to dogs infected with rabies or showing aggressive behaviour.

Estimated number of stray dogs in New Delhi is between 500,000 to 1 million.

On Friday, after weeks of stress, Varma, the community feeder, said she was “on top of the world.”

Though she has questions about the revised ruling, including what will qualify as an aggressive dog, the decision is a reprieve for the street dogs she lovingly calls her “kids.”

“All that matters is that our kids’ stomachs are filled up,” she said. “They should be treated, vaccinated, and sterilized.

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