Rajasthan became the first state to implement the Supreme Court’s order on stray dogs by enforcing the ABC Rules 2023. Municipal bodies must set up feeding points in every ward, ensuring food, water, and welfare with NGO collaboration.
In response to the Supreme Court’s directive regarding stray dogs, the Rajasthan government has taken a proactive approach to manage these animals more effectively.
The Department of Autonomous Governance mandated that all municipal corporations, councils, and municipalities comply with the Stray Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules 2023.
This includes establishing designated feeding points for dogs in every ward and locality.
Urban bodies are instructed to collaborate with resident welfare associations and animal welfare organizations, ensuring that food and water are provided at these spots, even in cases of rabies.
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Ravi Jain, Secretary of the Local Self Government Department, stated,
“Rajasthan is the first state in the country to issue such comprehensive orders balancing public safety and animal welfare after the Supreme Court’s decision.”
All municipal bodies are required to submit compliance reports to the state government within 30 days. The directive includes the establishment of sterilization, rabies vaccination, and deworming centers in every city.
Stray dogs will be treated, sterilized, tagged, and then returned to their original localities. To promote transparency, CCTV cameras will be installed in operating rooms and ABC centers. Only trained personnel will be authorized to capture dogs, using nets or by hand, and no dog under six months will be sterilized.
Additionally, the government has instructed the creation of monitoring committees in each city, consisting of NGO members and animal welfare advocates, to regularly assess the process. Keeping records of sterilizations, vaccinations, deaths, and feeding will be mandatory.
According to the Animal Welfare Board of India, a fee of Rs 200 has been set for capturing each dog, and Rs 1,450 for sterilization, food, and post-operative care.
Last week, the Supreme Court emphasized that,
“A blanket direction to pick up all the strays and place them in dog shelters/pounds without evaluating the existing infrastructure may lead to a catch-22 situation because such directions may be impossible to comply with.”
It also stated that sterilized, dewormed, and vaccinated dogs should be returned to their original localities, in accordance with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023.
Earlier order of August 11, passed by a Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, had created huge controversy. That order had directed that all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR must be caught and sent to shelters within eight weeks.
The Court at that time had taken serious note of the rising number of dog bite cases and rabies-related deaths. In fact, official figures from 2024 showed at least 37 lakh dog bite cases and 54 suspected deaths due to rabies.
The apex court, On Aug 22, changed its earlier order of August 11 that had directed authorities to round up all stray dogs in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) and to keep them permanently in shelters without release.
A three-judge Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria ruled that stray dogs should be sent back to their original locations after proper medical care.
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