Is feeding stray dogs illegal in India now?

No. Feeding community dogs is allowed at designated feeding spots. The Supreme Court's order of 22 August 2025 barred feeding stray dogs on the streets and told municipal authorities to create feeding spaces in every ward, with notice boards saying dogs are fed only there.

Who decides where community dogs are fed in a society?

Under rule 20 of the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, the RWA or AOA arranges feeding with residents who feed. If they disagree, an Animal Welfare Committee including the Chief Veterinary Officer and police fixes the feeding point, and its decision is final.

Can someone be punished for feeding dogs on the street?

The Supreme Court's order of 22 August 2025 says people found feeding dogs on the streets in breach of its directions shall be liable to be proceeded against under the relevant legal framework, and asks municipal authorities to set up helplines to report violations.

Can stray dogs be removed from my area?

Generally no. The ABC Rules, 2023 require sterilised dogs to be released where they were caught. The Supreme Court's exceptions are rabid or aggressive dogs, and dogs removed from schools, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and railway stations, which go to shelters.

What did the Supreme Court decide on 19 May 2026 about stray dogs?

It upheld its orders of 22 August and 7 November 2025 and AWBI's November 2025 SOP, allowed measures including euthanasia for rabid or dangerous dogs, protected officials acting in good faith, and asked every High Court to register a case to monitor compliance.

Pet rules 9 min read

Feeding community dogs: what the rules and the Supreme Court say

Updated October 2026By PetymFacts checked against official sources on 21 October 2026

Quick answer

Feeding community dogs is legal in India, but only at designated feeding spots. Rule 20 of the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 makes RWAs and local bodies arrange feeding spots away from children's play areas and entrances, and the Supreme Court ordered on 22 August 2025 that stray dogs must not be fed on the streets.

On 19 May 2026 the Supreme Court upheld AWBI's November 2025 SOP and its earlier orders, and handed monitoring to the High Courts. Dogs removed from schools, hospitals and stations are not to be released back there (checked 21 October 2026).

Find a dog walker

Meet your sitter first, free
PAN-checked, first-aid trained
A photo every day
Pay through Petym, never cash

Is it legal to feed street dogs in India?

The feeding rules at a glance
What	The rule	Source
Community animals	"any animal born in a Community for which no ownership has been claimed by any individual or an Organisation" (ABC Rules, 2023, rule 2(1)(j)).	Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
Who arranges feeding	The RWA, AOA or local body's representative, involving residents who feed (rule 20(1)).	Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
Where	Mutually agreed spots far from children's play areas, entry and exit points and staircases.	Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
Disputes	An Animal Welfare Committee, including the Chief Veterinary Officer and police, fixes the feeding point; its decision is final (rule 20(2)).	Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
On the streets	"Under no condition shall the feeding of stray dogs on the streets be permitted" (Supreme Court, 22 August 2025).	Supreme Court of India
Feeding spaces	Municipal authorities to create dedicated feeding spaces in each ward, with notice boards.	Supreme Court of India
Latest judgment	19 May 2026: earlier orders and AWBI's SOP upheld; High Courts to monitor compliance.	Supreme Court of India (LiveLaw's copy, 2026 LiveLaw (SC) 515)

What did the Supreme Court order about feeding stray dogs?

Feeding is to move to designated spaces in every municipal ward, and stops on the streets.

Word for word

Municipal authorities shall forthwith commence an exercise for creating dedicated feeding spaces for the stray dogs in each municipal ward. The feeding areas shall be created/identified keeping in view the population and concentration of stray dogs in the particular municipal ward. Gantries/notice boards shall be placed near such designated feeding areas, mentioning that stray dogs shall only be fed in such areas. Under no condition shall the feeding of stray dogs on the streets be permitted.

Supreme Court of India, order of 22 August 2025 in Suo Motu W.P.(C) No. 5 of 2025, In Re: City Hounded by Strays, Kids Pay Price, paragraph 33(d) Supreme Court of India

The same paragraph says people found feeding dogs on the streets in breach "shall be liable to be proceeded against under the relevant legal framework", and paragraph 33(e) asks every municipal authority to set up a helpline to report violations. The court gave its reason: to ensure "the practice of feeding dogs on roads and in public places is eliminated", because of reports of incidents caused by unregulated feeding.

How have the feeding rules changed since 2015?

From AWBI's advice, to a statutory rule, to Supreme Court orders. Each step cites its source.

26 February 2015
AWBI's guidelines say "There is no law that prohibits the feeding of street animals", and advise caregivers not to feed near other people's homes or where children play. Animal Welfare Board of India
24 June 2021
The Delhi High Court rules that community dogs have the right to food and citizens the right to feed them, at spots designated with the RWA, without harm or nuisance to others. High Court of Delhi
10 March 2023
The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 (G.S.R. 193(E)) replace the 2001 rules; rule 20 puts feeding arrangements on RWAs and local bodies. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
17 July 2025
AWBI directs RWAs and AOAs to designate feeding spots and times and to keep a register of community dogs. Animal Welfare Board of India
22 August 2025
A three-judge Supreme Court bench orders dedicated feeding spaces in every ward and bars feeding on the streets; sterilised dogs go back to their area, except rabid or aggressive dogs. Supreme Court of India
7 November 2025
The court orders stray dogs removed from schools, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and railway stations to shelters, and not released back there. Supreme Court of India (LiveLaw's copy, 2026 LiveLaw (SC) 515)
27 November 2025
AWBI issues its SOP: food vendors within 100 metres of such premises must use closed bins and not feed dogs near their stalls. Animal Welfare Board of India
19 May 2026
The court's judgment upholds the earlier orders and the SOP, and asks every High Court to register a case to monitor compliance. Supreme Court of India (LiveLaw's copy, 2026 LiveLaw (SC) 515)
21 July 2026
AWBI asks all states for strict compliance; compliance affidavits were due before the High Courts by 7 August 2026. Animal Welfare Board of India

How should a designated feeding spot work?

Rule 20 and AWBI's letter of 17 July 2025 set the conditions. A society that meets them is following the law.

Agreed between the RWA or AOA and the feeders, sized to the number of dogs and their territories Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
Far from children's play areas, entry and exit points and staircases Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
Fed at set times when children and senior citizens are least about Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
No littering: the designated feeder cleans up after feeding Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
Feeders may volunteer for vaccination, catching and release under the ABC programme Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
A register of community dogs: estimated numbers, sterilisation, anti-rabies vaccination and the feeders' identity Animal Welfare Board of India
A notice board at the spot saying stray dogs are fed only there Supreme Court of India

What changed for schools, hospitals and campuses?

Institutional premises are now kept free of stray dogs, and feeding there needs a written undertaking.

The Supreme Court's order of 7 November 2025 told municipal bodies to remove stray dogs from educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and depots and railway stations, sterilise and vaccinate them and shift them to shelters, and said: "The stray dogs so picked up shall not be released back to the same location from which they were picked up." Each such institution must name a nodal officer and secure its boundary.

AWBI's SOP of 27 November 2025, issued on the court's direction, adds that food vendors within 100 metres of these premises must use closed waste bins and "ensure that no dogs are fed near or around their food stall", and that citizens should be told feeding "must only take place at the designated feedings spots".

The 19 May 2026 judgment goes further for campuses. It holds that animal welfare groups or student bodies feeding dogs inside an educational or institutional campus must file an affidavit accepting tortious liability for any bite on the premises; without it, "no activity of maintaining or feeding stray dogs shall be permitted within the campus". The judgment also upheld the bar on re-releasing dogs into such premises.

What do people get wrong about feeding community dogs?

You may have read
The Supreme Court has banned feeding stray dogs.
Myth
What the sources say
It barred feeding on the streets and ordered feeding spaces in every ward instead. Feeding at a designated spot is what the order asks for. Supreme Court of India
You may have read
An RWA can stop all feeding inside the society.
Myth
What the sources say
Rule 20 of the ABC Rules, 2023 makes the RWA responsible for arranging feeding of community animals in its premises, and a disputed spot is fixed by an Animal Welfare Committee, not by the RWA alone. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
You may have read
Community dogs can be moved out of the area.
Myth
What the sources say
Under rule 11(19) sterilised dogs are released where they were caught. The Supreme Court's exceptions are rabid or aggressive dogs, and dogs taken from schools, hospitals, sports complexes and stations. Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (Gazette of India copy on AWBI's site)
You may have read
Anyone can feed anywhere if they clean up afterwards.
Myth
What the sources say
Cleaning up is required, but the spot must still be a designated one. Feeding on the streets outside such spots can be proceeded against under the 22 August 2025 order. Supreme Court of India

What it means for owners

Pet owners share space with community dogs; knowing the feeding rules prevents most conflicts on walks.

If you also feed community dogs, use your society's or ward's designated spot and keep to its timings. Ask your RWA where the spot is: the ABC Rules make arranging it their job, and AWBI's 2025 letter asks them to keep a register of the dogs and their vaccination status.

Walk your pet away from feeding spots at feeding times, so your dog and the community dogs are not meeting over food. AWBI's SOP advises keeping your own dog leashed in public and socialised with people and other animals. Keep your pet's rabies vaccination current, as the ABC Rules make an owner responsible for it.

If a neighbour is harassed for feeding at an agreed spot, the Delhi High Court said in 2021 that law enforcement should ensure "no harassment or hindrance is caused" to people feeding at designated spots. The Supreme Court's later orders now govern where those spots are.

What it means for sitters

A sitter walks a client's dog past community dogs every day, and does not feed them on the client's time or food.

A Petym sitter follows the pet's plan the owner writes, and that plan is about the client's pet. Feeding community dogs during a booking, or with the client's pet food, is not part of it unless the owner asks.

Walk routes matter more since the 2025 orders. A sitter avoids designated feeding spots at feeding times, keeps the client's dog leashed and close when community dogs approach, and changes route rather than walk through a group of dogs at a feeding spot. Any scuffle is logged and the owner told the same day.

If a client's dog is bitten or scratched by a community dog, the sitter treats it as an emergency: call the owner, and take the dog to the nearest 24-hour vet on the city's list. The sitter also washes any human bite or scratch at once and sees a doctor the same day, as the dog bite page explains.

Going away soon? Tell us your dates.

A checked local sitter feeds, walks and keeps your pet company at home, follows your care sheet to the letter and sends a photo every day. Petym is opening city by city: send your dates and we will tell you when a sitter can take them.

Find a dog walker How it works

Meet your sitter first, free
PAN-checked, first-aid trained
A photo every day
Pay through Petym, never cash

Questions owners ask

Is feeding stray dogs illegal in India now?: No. Feeding community dogs is allowed at designated feeding spots. The Supreme Court's order of 22 August 2025 barred feeding stray dogs on the streets and told municipal authorities to create feeding spaces in every ward, with notice boards saying dogs are fed only there.
Who decides where community dogs are fed in a society?: Under rule 20 of the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, the RWA or AOA arranges feeding with residents who feed. If they disagree, an Animal Welfare Committee including the Chief Veterinary Officer and police fixes the feeding point, and its decision is final.
Can someone be punished for feeding dogs on the street?: The Supreme Court's order of 22 August 2025 says people found feeding dogs on the streets in breach of its directions shall be liable to be proceeded against under the relevant legal framework, and asks municipal authorities to set up helplines to report violations.
Can stray dogs be removed from my area?: Generally no. The ABC Rules, 2023 require sterilised dogs to be released where they were caught. The Supreme Court's exceptions are rabid or aggressive dogs, and dogs removed from schools, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and railway stations, which go to shelters.
What did the Supreme Court decide on 19 May 2026 about stray dogs?: It upheld its orders of 22 August and 7 November 2025 and AWBI's November 2025 SOP, allowed measures including euthanasia for rabid or dangerous dogs, protected officials acting in good faith, and asked every High Court to register a case to monitor compliance.
Can feeders keep feeding dogs inside a college campus?: Only with an undertaking. The Supreme Court's 19 May 2026 judgment says groups feeding stray dogs inside an educational or institutional campus must file an affidavit accepting tortious liability for bites there; without it, no feeding or maintaining of dogs is permitted on campus.

Keep reading

Pets in housing societiesWhat a society can and cannot ask of pet owners.
Dog bite rules in IndiaFirst aid, owner liability and compensation.
Dog walking rules in publicLeash and park rules for pet dogs.
Animal cruelty law in IndiaWhat counts as cruelty and how to report it.
Pet registration in IndiaLicensing your own dog, city by city.
The Indie dogIndia's own dog, on the street and at home.

Services that help

Words on this page, explained

Sources

Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources