'Sterilized dogs detention illegal': Animal rights group seeks urgent intervention at JLN Stadium

By A Representative 

In an urgent communique, the animal welfare organization People for Animals (PFA) has reported a major disturbance at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, where authorities at Gate No. 10 are violating judicial directives by refusing to release 13 sterilized community dogs back into their original territory. In a letter dated October 9, PFA stated that the dogs had been confined in a van for over three hours, causing significant distress. 

The organization has called for immediate intervention to ensure compliance with the law, citing a Delhi Government order from September 16 and a Supreme Court order from August 22, which both mandate that sterilized dogs must be released back to their original locations and cannot be relocated.

This on-ground crisis emerged amidst a significant legal showdown in the Supreme Court of India. A three-judge bench recently partially modified its own earlier stringent orders on the management of stray dogs in the National Capital Region, attempting to strike a balance between the fundamental right to life of citizens and the welfare of community animals. 

The Court's latest order comes as a response to a slew of petitions from animal welfare organizations and citizens, who argued that a previous directive—which mandated the permanent impounding of all sterilized stray dogs—was in direct violation of existing laws and logistically unfeasible.

The legal tussle began when a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court took suo moto cognizance of a news report titled “City Hounded by Strays, Kids Pay Price,” which detailed the death of a 6-year-old girl from rabies. The court had earlier ordered municipal authorities in Delhi and the NCR to round up all stray dogs, create sufficient shelters, and crucially, not to release the dogs back onto the streets after sterilization and immunization. 

This "no-release" directive became the central point of contention, as animal rights groups argued it blatantly contradicted the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, which mandate that sterilized and vaccinated dogs must be returned to their original territories.

Acknowledging the "salutary intent" of the earlier order to protect citizens from dog bites and rabies, the three-judge bench found the complete prohibition on release to be "too harsh." On August 22 the Court modified its earlier order of August 11, stating that the "no-release" directive is to be kept in abeyance. 

Henceforth, dogs that are picked up shall be sterilized, vaccinated, and released back to their original areas. This release order does not apply to dogs infected or suspected to be infected with rabies, or those displaying aggressive behavior; such dogs must be kept in separate pounds permanently. 

Furthermore, the Court directed municipal authorities to create dedicated feeding spots in every ward, explicitly prohibiting the feeding of stray dogs on streets or public places, with violators facing legal action. 

The Court also imposed a cost of ₹25,000 on individual animal lovers and ₹2,00,000 on NGOs who had approached the Court, to be used for creating infrastructure for stray dogs, and encouraged the formal adoption of street dogs.

In a related development, the Government of NCT of Delhi had issued detailed guidelines on September 15, 2025, for the strict implementation of the ABC Rules. The order, addressed to the MCD, NDMC, and Delhi Cantonment Board, emphasized strengthening ABC infrastructure, strictly prohibiting the relocation or killing of any street dog, establishing designated feeding spots, and making registration of pet dogs mandatory.

The Supreme Court's last order represents a judicial effort to reconcile public safety concerns with established animal welfare laws. 

By reinstating the core principle of the ABC program—"Capture, Sterilize, Vaccinate, and Release"—while creating stricter protocols for dangerous dogs and public feeding, the Court has provided a more nuanced framework for managing the human-animal conflict in urban India, directly addressing the crisis highlighted by the PFA at JLN Stadium.