Delhi High Court Directs Authorities to Develop Institutional Policy for Stray Dog Rehabilitation

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has directed the city government and relevant authorities to formulate a comprehensive policy for the rehabilitation of stray dogs at an institutional level so that they are "phased out" from public roads and streets.

Background and Court Observations

The directive, issued by Justice Mini Pushkarna, comes in response to a petition filed by Pratima Devi, an octogenarian known as “Dog Amma,” who cared for over 200 stray dogs in a makeshift shelter that was demolished by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) without prior notice.

The court noted that "various instances of dog bites by stray dogs have come forth, which are reported regularly in the newspapers, along with several petitions before this court, wherein, instances of dog bites have been brought to the notice of this court". 

Authorities had previously decided that after sterilization and vaccination, the dogs would be released back into the area around the shelter. However, the court found this approach inadequate, stating that "leaving the dogs on the streets, after their vaccination and sterilisation, is not the proper solution in the present matter, due to the large number of dogs involved in the present case". 

The court emphasized that releasing so many dogs back onto the streets could pose significant risks to public safety and create hardships for both residents and the animals themselves. 

Policy Directive and Next Steps

The High Court has instructed the Delhi Chief Secretary to convene a meeting of all stakeholders, including the Delhi government, MCD, and the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), to collaboratively develop a policy for the removal, rehabilitation, and institutional sheltering of stray dogs. The court stressed that coordinated efforts are essential to ensure humane treatment and effective management of the stray dog population.

"Accordingly, it is directed that a policy decision be taken by the stakeholders to ensure that provisions are made for the rehabilitation of the stray dogs at an institutional level so that stray dogs are rehabilitated and phased out from the public roads and streets," the court ordered. 

The matter is scheduled for further hearing on August 6, with the court expecting a concrete policy framework to be presented by then.