Every evening in a bustling New Delhi neighborhood, Dholu, Oldie, and Snoopy eagerly await the smell of khichdi. Their feeder, 34-year-old Himanshi Varma, lugs two heavy bags of food through the chaos of the city — a ritual she has kept for seven years.

For Varma, who has sterilized over 500 dogs and found homes for hundreds more, the strays are “kids.” But for weeks, she fed them with a sense of dread.

On August 12, India’s Supreme Court ordered all stray dogs in Delhi to be rounded up and locked permanently in shelters, citing rising attacks, including fatal maulings of children. Panic rippled through animal lovers, who warned that shelters were already overwhelmed and the order would mean mass suffering for millions of strays.

A Swift U-Turn

That fear eased Friday, when a special bench of the court reviewed its directive. In a modified ruling, the justices declared that strays should instead be sterilized, vaccinated, and released back to their home areas — unless rabid or dangerously aggressive.

The ruling applies nationwide, while banning public feeding of strays and requiring local authorities to designate specific feeding zones.

“I think it’s a very thoughtful verdict,” said veterinarian Dr. Sarungbam Yaiphabi Devi. “It looks like the court kept the public pulse in mind because so many people came out for their neighborhood dogs.”

Between Compassion and Fear

India has an estimated 62 million stray dogs, according to the Press Trust of India. For many, they are beloved community members. For others, they are a menace.

Delhi medical student Shriya Ramani described walking past packs of strays as “extremely scary.” Parents of bite victims argue the government should go further, removing strays entirely from the streets.

Rabies adds urgency: India accounts for 36% of the world’s rabies deaths, according to the WHO.

Shelters Already Strained

Animal shelters across Delhi say they could not have coped with the Supreme Court’s original order.

At the Janm Foundation in Gurugram, caretaker Meenakshi Bareja tends to 78 rescued dogs, many suffering from tumors, paralysis, or open wounds. “We need 500,000 rupees ($5,700) a month, and we always have a shortage,” she said.

A Reprieve, for Now

The revised ruling has lifted spirits among animal lovers.

Varma, who calls her strays family, said she felt “on top of the world” after the court’s reversal. Still, she wonders how officials will decide which dogs are deemed “aggressive.”

“All that matters is that our kids’ stomachs are filled up,” she said. “They should be treated, vaccinated, and sterilized.”