05/06/2026
Supreme Court Order on Stray Dog Population Management in India - May 2026
India’s Supreme Court has issued an important order on stray dog population management, placing public safety and scientific animal management at the centre of the national response.
Key takeaways:
1. This is not a blanket culling order.
2. The Court has reinforced humane and scientific management as per ABC Rules 2023 through sterilisation, vaccination, sheltering where required, and responsible waste management.
3. Failure to adopt a proactive, structured and sustained approach under the ABC Rules framework has resulted in a largely reactive and crisis-driven response, necessitated by the escalation of the problem rather than its prevention.
4. Every State and UT must establish at least one functional Animal Birth Control centre in each district.
5. Euthanasia can only be done after a vet checks the dog and gives their opinion that the dog is rabid or incurably ill dog as per ABC Rules 2023.
6. Anti-rabies vaccines and immunoglobulin must be available in government medical facilities.
7. High Courts will monitor compliance, with updated affidavits due by 7 August 2026.
8. The Supreme Court also granted a limited exception to NALSAR University, Hyderabad, allowing its campus-based stray dog management model to continue. This shows that structured, accountable, campus-level humane management may be considered where responsibility, safety systems, sterilisation, vaccination and monitoring are clearly in place.
In its judgment dated 19 May 2026 in Suo Motu W.P. (C) No. 5 of 2025, the Court clarified that stray dogs do not have to be re-released into institutional or restricted-access spaces such as schools, colleges, hospitals, transport hubs and other high-footfall public areas. But these pickups can be done only when certain criteria are fulfilled – this is not a blanket pickup and dump in shelters orders as many people are thinking – refer this post by us few months ago - https://ziply.pk/hqzkYQ
This SC judgment is a call for humane, scientific and time-bound action. Safer public spaces and better systems for stray dogs and people must now go hand in hand. Mass sterilisation and vaccination are the only effective and long-term solutions for stray dog population management and rabies control as has been proven in many countries around the world.
About CCC
Canine Control and Care (CCC) Trust, established in 2015 as a flagship CSR initiative of Bajaj Auto Ltd., is one of India’s largest NGOs dedicated to stray dog sterilization, vaccination, and rabies prevention. CCC has sterilized and vaccinated over 1,00,000 stray dogs and continues to pioneer humane dog population management programs across Pune, PCMC and other cities across India. https://caninecontrolandcare.org
