Feeding stray dogs: Supreme Court orders and what is allowed

Feeding community dogs is not a crime in India, but it must be done in the right place and manner. Rule 20 of the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 makes the RWA, apartment owners’ association or local body arrange feeding at agreed spots and times away from children’s areas, and the Supreme Court’s order of 22 August 2025 bars feeding on streets outside designated feeding spaces. The case is now being monitored through the High Courts, which are due to send a consolidated compliance report to the Supreme Court by 17 November 2026, so check the current position in your city.

The two layers of law you must keep apart

People argue about feeding because they mix two layers. The first is the Rule 20 layer, which governs feeding inside a society, colony or defined area. The second is the public street layer, which the Supreme Court has added since August 2025. A feeder who understands both avoids nearly every fight.

Layer one: Rule 20 of the ABC Rules, 2023

The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 were notified on 10 March 2023 under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Rule 20(1) puts the duty on the RWA, apartment owners’ association or the local body’s representative to arrange feeding of community animals in the premises, involving the residents who feed. The arrangement must include designated feeding spots agreed by the parties, designated feeding times, no littering by the feeder, and permission for feeders to help with vaccination, catching and release in the ABC programme.

Notice that this binds both sides. An RWA cannot simply order feeders to stop. A feeder cannot feed at the main gate during school-bus hours. Both must agree on spots and times.

If there is no agreement, Rule 20(2) provides an Animal Welfare Committee: the Chief Veterinary Officer or a representative, a police representative, a representative of the District SPCA or State Board, a representative of a recognised animal welfare organisation, a veterinary officer of the local authority, the complainant and a representative of the RWA or local body. Its decision fixes the feeding point. Under Rule 20(3) anyone aggrieved may appeal to the State Animal Welfare Board, whose decision is final for that area. In RNA Royal Park Co-operative Housing Society v. Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (Bombay High Court, 2 August 2024), the High Court sent the parties to this mechanism and directed the corporation to form the committee in 15 days and decide in 15 days after that.

Layer two: Supreme Court orders on stray dogs

The proceedings are called In Re: “City Hounded by Strays, Kids Pay Price”. The key steps, in order:

1. 28 July 2025. Suo motu cognisance after reports of a child’s death from rabies following a dog bite in Delhi.
2. 11 August 2025. A two-judge bench ordered stray dogs in Delhi NCR to be picked up and kept in shelters. There were protests across the country.
3. 22 August 2025. A three-judge bench modified the order. Dogs are to be sterilised, dewormed, vaccinated and released in the same locality, except rabid or aggressive dogs. Municipal bodies must create dedicated feeding spaces in each ward with notice boards, and a helpline for violations. Feeding on the streets outside those spaces is not permitted. The case was widened to the whole country.
4. 7 November 2025. Directions to remove strays from educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands, depots and railway stations, and to move them to shelters without release back into those premises, with the premises fenced.
5. 19 May 2026. The Court refused to modify the November 2025 order, upheld AWBI’s SOP, directed every district to have at least one functional ABC centre, adequate anti-rabies vaccine, and High Court monitoring, and allowed euthanasia of rabid, incurably ill or demonstrably dangerous dogs.

Do not rely on the 11 August 2025 “all dogs to shelters” order. It was modified within eleven days.

What is allowed and what is not: a plain list

Generally allowed

• Feeding community dogs and cats at spots and times fixed by the RWA, the local body or an Animal Welfare Committee.
• Helping with sterilisation and vaccination drives under the ABC programme.
• Applying to the municipal body to adopt a street dog, which the 22 August 2025 order expressly permitted, with the responsibility of ensuring the dog does not return to the streets.

Not allowed or risky

• Feeding on public streets outside the designated spaces notified by your municipal body.
• Feeding at entrances, staircases or play areas, or leaving food and bowls littered.
• Feeding inside the premises of the institutions covered by the 7 November 2025 order, where the dogs are to be removed and sheltered.
• Obstructing municipal staff doing their ABC work. The August 2025 order warned against this.
• Relocating dogs yourself. Rule 11(19) requires release at the same place the dog was captured.

On the other side, residents and guards cannot beat, poison or chase away dogs. Cruelty is punishable under PCA section 11, and killing, poisoning or maiming an animal under BNS section 325 carries up to five years. Threatening or assaulting a feeder is an offence in its own right.

How to settle a feeding dispute in four steps

1. Propose, in writing. Offer two specific spots and two time slots, for example behind the clubhouse before 7 a.m. and after 7 p.m. Offer to clear bowls within 30 minutes and to help with vaccination.
2. Get a signed one-page note. Both the committee and the feeder sign. Put a copy on the notice board.
3. If talks fail, write to the local body. Ask it to constitute the Rule 20(2) committee. Keep the reference number.
4. Appeal under Rule 20(3). If you disagree with the committee, go to the State Animal Welfare Board. Courts often send parties back to this route rather than fix spots themselves.

Are feeders liable if a dog bites?

As on 7 November 2026 there is no general rule making a feeder liable for a bite by a community dog. Feeding does not by itself make you the owner. The May 2026 judgment made a limited exception for one university campus, but a campus exemption is not a general rule. A person who claims a dog as their own, keeps it on their premises or controls it may be treated differently. This is one area that could change as compliance reports reach the Supreme Court. See the dog bite guide for the owner and compensation position.

Real-life example

In a Noida society, Kavita feeds eight dogs at the main gate at 8 a.m., exactly when school buses arrive. Parents complain and the guard is told to stop her. The committee instead proposes two spots behind the clubhouse, feeding before 7 a.m. and after 7 p.m., bowls removed within 30 minutes. Kavita asks for a water point. Both sign. The dogs get sterilised in the next municipal drive and the complaints stop. Had they not agreed, either could have asked the local body for a Rule 20(2) committee.

Keep the whole timeline and the Rule 20 steps in one place. See the full course, or browse all Lexfolio certificate courses.

Frequently asked questions

Is it illegal to feed stray dogs in India?

No. Feeding is regulated, not banned. Inside premises, use designated spots under Rule 20. On public streets, the Supreme Court’s 22 August 2025 order bars feeding outside designated feeding spaces, so check your city’s notified spots.

Did the Supreme Court order all stray dogs into shelters?

The 11 August 2025 order said so for Delhi NCR but was modified on 22 August 2025. Release in the same locality continues, except rabid or aggressive dogs and dogs from the institutional premises covered by the 7 November 2025 order.

Can my RWA stop me from feeding?

It cannot simply ban it. Rule 20(1) requires the RWA or local body to arrange feeding spots and times with feeders. If it refuses, ask the local body for a Rule 20(2) committee.

Where do I appeal in a feeding dispute?

To the State Animal Welfare Board under Rule 20(3), after the Animal Welfare Committee decides.

Is there a fixed compensation for dog bites from the Supreme Court?

No. The May 2026 judgment did not fix a national amount. Compensation depends on state schemes and High Court rulings. See the dog bite guide.

What is the next Supreme Court date?

The High Courts are due to send a consolidated compliance report to the Supreme Court by 17 November 2026, as reported. Further directions are possible, so check the latest order.

Quick quiz

Sources

• Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 (notified 10 March 2023), rules 11(19) and 20
• Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, section 11
• Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, section 325
• In Re: “City Hounded by Strays, Kids Pay Price”, Supreme Court orders of 11 August 2025, 22 August 2025 and 7 November 2025, and judgment of 19 May 2026
• RNA Royal Park Co-operative Housing Society v. Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, Bombay High Court, 2 August 2024
• AWBI standard operating procedure on ABC implementation (check the current version)

This page is for education and general information, not legal advice for a specific case. Law as on 7 November 2026.