Feeding street dogs in India: what the ABC Rules and the Supreme Court say
Checked against 9 sources
Feeding street dogs is not banned in India, but it has to happen at agreed spots and times. Rule 20 of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023 makes the RWA, AOA or local body arrange feeding with the people who feed, at spots away from children's play areas, entry and exit points and staircases, and sends disputes to an Animal Welfare Committee1. Since August 2025 the Supreme Court has also ordered stray dogs out of schools, hospitals, bus stands and railway stations, and asked every state to report on dedicated feeding spaces in each municipal ward; its judgment of 19 May 2026 hands day-to-day monitoring to the High Courts2.
- Is feeding allowed?
- Yes, at a spot and time agreed with your RWA, AOA or local body. AWBI says no law bans feeding street animals14
- Where not to feed
- Near children's play areas, entry and exit points or staircases (Rule 20); on staircase landings or outside doors and gates (AWBI, 2026)16
- Supreme Court, 2025–26
- Dogs removed from schools, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and railway stations aren't released back there; states report on feeding spaces in each ward2
- If you can't agree
- An Animal Welfare Committee fixes the feeding point; appeal to the State Animal Welfare Board1
- Feeder authorisation
- Under AWBI's letter of 1 Mar 2026, the district's Chief Veterinary Officer or animal husbandry officer authorises Colony Animal Caretakers6
- Next hearing
- 17 Nov 2026 in the Supreme Court; High Courts monitor compliance meanwhile2
On this page
- Street dog feeding rules in India: which documents count
- Stray dog Supreme Court order: what has happened since 2025
- What feeders can do
- What feeders should not do
- What residents and RWAs can and cannot do
- How disputes are handled
- City rules can add more: Mumbai's example
- Before you feed in a public place
- Not fully clear yet
- Sources
Street dog feeding rules in India: which documents count
| Document | Issued by, date | How binding | What it says on feeding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 (G.S.R. 193(E)) | Central government, 10 Mar 2023 1 | Rules notified in the Gazette of India; binding1 | Rule 20: the RWA, AOA or local body arranges feeding at agreed spots and times; disputes go to a committee1 |
| Supreme Court orders in Suo Motu Writ Petition (Civil) No. 5 of 2025 | Orders of 11 Aug, 22 Aug and 7 Nov 2025; judgment of 19 May 2026 2 | Court directions for all states and union territories2 | Stray dogs out of institutional areas; states report on dedicated feeding spaces in each municipal ward2 |
| Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on dog bites and stray dogs in institutional premises | AWBI, 27 Nov 2025 3 | Issued on the court's direction; the court upheld it on 19 May 2026 23 | Authorities should tell citizens that dogs must be fed only at designated feeding spots3 |
| Guidelines on pet and street dogs, their care-givers, RWAs and AOAs | AWBI, 26 Feb 2015 4 | An advisory4 | No law bans feeding street animals; feeders should keep away from other people's homes and play areas, and clean up4 |
| Implementation of ABC Rules, 2023: guidelines for local bodies, RWAs and AOAs | AWBI, 17 Jul 2025 5 | A guideline letter5 | Restates Rule 20 and asks RWAs to keep a register of community dogs5 |
| Colony Animal Caretaker authorisation | AWBI letter to state animal husbandry departments, 1 Mar 2026 6 | A circular to the states6 | District officers authorise feeders; the sample letter lists what caretakers must and must not do6 |
Stray dog Supreme Court order: what has happened since 2025
- 11 Aug 2025: the court directed that stray dogs in the National Capital Region be picked up, without being released where they were caught2.
- 22 Aug 2025: it changed that order, noting that a blanket pick-up across Delhi-NCR might not be possible to carry out, and allowed sterilised, vaccinated dogs to be released where they were picked up2.
- 7 Nov 2025: for schools and colleges, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and railway stations, it ordered fencing, a nodal officer at each place, and removal of stray dogs by the municipal body to a shelter after sterilisation and vaccination, with no release back to the same spot2.
- 27 Nov 2025: AWBI issued the SOP the court had asked for. It also covers places such as religious sites, children's parks, airports and tourist sites23.
- 19 May 2026: the judgment by Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria upheld the 7 Nov directions and the SOP. It directed every state to set up at least one fully working ABC centre in each district, and said that where bites are frequent, authorities may euthanise rabid, incurably ill or demonstrably dangerous dogs, only after assessment by qualified vets and under the PCA Act and the ABC Rules2.
- Campuses: a student group or animal welfare group that feeds or keeps dogs on a school or college campus must give the head of the institution an affidavit accepting legal liability for any injury the dogs cause; without it, feeding there isn't allowed2.
- 21 Jul 2026: AWBI asked all states and local bodies to follow the judgment, the SOP and the ABC Rules in full7. States had to file compliance affidavits in their High Courts by 7 Aug 2026, and the Supreme Court lists the case again on 17 Nov 2026 2.
What feeders can do
- Feed community dogs at a spot and a time agreed with your RWA, AOA or the local body's representative1.
- Volunteer to help with vaccination, and with catching and releasing dogs for the ABC programme1.
- Apply to be authorised as a Colony Animal Caretaker. Under AWBI's letter of 1 Mar 2026, the district's Chief Veterinary Officer, Deputy Director or District Animal Husbandry Officer decides, within one month. If you're refused or get no reply, you can appeal to the State Animal Welfare Board's Member Secretary or the state's animal husbandry director6.
- Ask the police for help if you're harassed at a designated spot. AWBI asked governments and police in 2021 to make sure no one harasses or hinders people feeding street dogs at designated feeding spots8, and its 2015 guidelines say harassing feeders may amount to criminal intimidation4.
What feeders should not do
- Feed near children's play areas, entry and exit points or staircases, or where children and senior citizens walk most1.
- Feed on staircase landings, outside doors or gates, or on or near ground-level water tanks and septic tanks6.
- Put food straight on newspaper, plastic or the ground. AWBI's 2026 caretaker letter asks for steel or aluminium bowls, picked up and cleaned after each meal6.
- Leave food or litter behind. The designated feeder must keep the spot clean16.
- Feed or keep dogs inside a school, college, hospital, sports complex, bus stand or railway station against the court's orders; dogs are being removed from these places2.
- For what to put in the bowl, see what to feed street dogs, and what never to.
What residents and RWAs can and cannot do
- Arrange feeding: Rule 20 makes it the RWA's, AOA's or local body's job to arrange feeding of the community dogs living in the premises, with spots and times agreed with feeders1.
- Keep a register: AWBI's July 2025 letter asks RWAs to record the estimated number of community dogs, their sterilisation status, rabies vaccination records and who feeds them5.
- No beating or dumping: AWBI's 2015 guidelines say street dogs can't be beaten, driven away, dumped elsewhere or killed4. Under Rule 11(19), sterilised dogs go back to the place they were caught1, except from the institutional premises covered by the Supreme Court's orders2.
- Ask for sterilisation: the local body is responsible for sterilising and vaccinating street dogs1. See what sterilisation costs, and how to get street dogs sterilised.
- Report a bite or a suspected rabid dog to the local body's animal helpline or ABC centre. The dog is caught and kept under a vet's observation1.
- Institutions: in a school, hospital, sports complex, bus stand or railway station, the nodal officer and the municipal body are responsible for keeping stray dogs out2.
How disputes are handled
- Talk first. Agree a feeding spot and time with the RWA or AOA in writing, using Rule 20's conditions1. Our page on pet rules in housing societies covers the rest of AWBI's advice to RWAs.
- If you can't agree, ask the local body's veterinary officer for an Animal Welfare Committee under Rule 20(2). It includes the Chief Veterinary Officer or a representative, the police, the district SPCA or State Board, a recognised ABC organisation, the local body's vet, the complainant and the RWA1.
- The committee's decision on the feeding point is final for that area, and it may nominate a designated caretaker to feed the dogs1.
- Anyone unhappy with the committee's decision can appeal to the State Animal Welfare Board, whose decision is final1.
- For cruelty to a dog, or threats against a feeder, see how to report animal cruelty. Cruelty is an offence under Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act4.
- For a bite, an aggressive dog or a suspected rabid dog, call the local body's animal helpline or ABC centre1. The Supreme Court's May 2026 judgment also directed every High Court to register its own case to monitor compliance with its orders2. For a legal dispute, speak to a lawyer; this page explains the documents, it isn't legal advice.
City rules can add more: Mumbai's example
BMC's guidelines, signed by the Municipal Commissioner on 20 Mar 2025, ask feeders in Mumbai to choose spots away from public streets and footpaths people use to commute, such as secluded areas or little-used service lanes, to feed late at night or early in the morning, and not to feed raw meat9.
They also say no one can stop another person from feeding dogs or cats unless it harms the animals, and that residents are responsible for getting their area's street dogs sterilised through a local ABC organisation9. These guidelines came before the Supreme Court's 2025–26 orders29, so ask BMC's Veterinary Health Department whether they still apply as written.
Before you feed in a public place
Ask your municipal ward office or the local ABC centre whether your ward has notified feeding spaces. The Supreme Court's compliance form asks every state about the creation of dedicated feeding spaces for stray dogs in each municipal ward2, and AWBI's March 2026 letter tells district officers to keep the court's restrictions on feeding in public places in mind when they authorise caretakers6.
Not fully clear yet
Official sources disagree or leave gaps on these. Confirm before you rely on them.
- We couldn't open the Supreme Court's order of 22 Aug 2025 itself on the court's website (checked 9 Oct 2026). The 19 May 2026 judgment says that order allowed release after sterilisation, and the court's compliance form asks about ward feeding spaces2, but we can't quote what the order says about feeding outside those spaces or any action against feeders. Ask your municipal body.
- The Supreme Court's case-status page needs a captcha, so we couldn't confirm whether the court has passed any order after 19 May 2026 (checked 9 Oct 2026). The judgment lists the case for 17 Nov 2026 and lets each High Court tailor the directions to local conditions2, so your High Court may have added its own.
- AWBI's 2015 guidelines say no law prohibits feeding street animals4; its March 2026 letter refers to the court's restrictions on feeding in public places6. Neither says exactly which public places are off limits in your city.
- The court asked states to decide whether to extend its directions to other busy public spaces2, and AWBI's SOP already names places such as religious sites, children's parks and tourist sites23. Neither names housing societies. Check whether your state or city has issued an order.
- BMC's 2025 guidelines let feeders use newspaper if they collect it afterwards9; AWBI's 2026 caretaker letter says not to feed on newspaper6. Steel bowls, picked up and cleaned, meet both.
Sources and how we check
Facts checked against the official sources below by Thapki. Written with AI help from the sources below, then checked line by line; the Thapki team reads and approves every page before it goes live. How we check
- 1Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 (G.S.R. 193(E), 10 Mar 2023), Gazette copy: rules 8, 11, 16 and 20
- 2In Re: 'City Hounded by Strays, Kids Pay Price', Suo Motu Writ Petition (Civil) No. 5 of 2025, judgment of 19 May 2026 (2026 INSC 506), quoting the order of 7 Nov 2025 and describing the orders of 11 and 22 Aug 2025
- 3Standard Operating Procedure for prevention of dog bites and management of stray dogs in institutional premises (File No. AC-02017/22/2025-AWBI, 27 Nov 2025; scanned PDF)
- 4Guidelines with respect to pet and street dogs, and their care-givers, and for Residents' Welfare Associations and Apartment Owners Associations (26 Feb 2015; scanned PDF)
- 5Implementation of ABC Rules, 2023: guidelines for local bodies, RWAs and AOAs (No. AC-02003/4/2024-AWBI, 17 Jul 2025; scanned PDF)
- 6Delegation of powers for issuance of Colony Animal Caretaker (CACT) authorisation by states and UTs, with the sample authorisation letter (No. AC-02025/1/2026-AWBI, dated 1 Mar 2026 in AWBI's circular list)
- 7Circular on strict compliance with the Supreme Court's directions, AWBI SOPs of 27 Nov 2025 and the ABC Rules, 2023 (No. AC-02017/22/2025-AWBI, 21 Jul 2026)
- 8Advisory to identify sufficient feeding spots for stray dogs in every district and implement the 2015 guidelines (No. 6-2/2020-21/PCA, 3 Mar 2021; scanned PDF)
- 9Guidelines with respect to pet and street dogs, community animal feeders, RWAs and AOAs, and public institutions (signed 13 Dec 2024 to 20 Mar 2025)