Supreme Court to rule on mass capture of stray dogs in Delhi tomorrow

The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce on Friday (August 22, 2025), its ruling on a batch of interim pleas seeking a stay on its contentious August 11, 2025, suo motu directive requiring civic authorities in Delhi and four adjoining districts to capture all stray dogs and confine them in shelters within six to eight weeks.

While reserving the case for judgment, a Bench led by Justice Vikram Nath, and also comprising Justices Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria, had remarked that local civic authorities were failing in their duty to address the growing public health risks posed by stray dogs.

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On Thursday (August 21, 2025), a different Bench refused to urgently list a plea by an animal rights group, which contended that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had gone ahead with a notification to round up stray dogs even though the apex court had already reserved its judgment.