Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday welcomed the Supreme Court’s revised order on stray dogs, calling it a progressive move for animal welfare. The court modified its August 11 directive, saying stray dogs will be released after sterilisation and won’t be kept in shelters unless they are rabid or aggressive.

“I welcome the Supreme Court’s revised directions on stray dogs, as it marks a progressive step toward balancing animal welfare and public safety. The approach is both compassionate and rooted in scientific reasoning,” Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X.

I welcome the Supreme Court’s revised directions on stray dogs, as it marks a progressive step toward balancing animal welfare and public safety. The approach is both compassionate and rooted in scientific reasoning.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 22, 2025

On August 11, a two-judge Supreme Court bench, while hearing a suo motu case, ordered that stray dogs in Delhi-NCR be moved to shelters within eight weeks, triggering strong protests from activists and animal lovers.

The next day, the case was reassigned to a new three-judge bench, which heard it on August 14 and reserved its verdict.

While the Supreme Court rolled back its earlier no-release order, it ruled on Friday that feeding stray dogs on streets will not be allowed.

The court said anyone found feeding strays on the streets could face action under the applicable laws.

Public servants facing obstruction can take action against those responsible, and any NGO or animal lover causing disruptions may be ordered to pay ₹25,000 as costs, the bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria stated.