The Delhi High Court has urged the Centre to finalise a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for service dogs that assist persons with disabilities, with the proposed framework covering identification, registration and their use in crowded public spaces.
A division bench comprising Justice Dinesh Mehta and Justice Aditi Choudhary asked the authorities to complete the process before the next hearing in January 2027. The court said this would help persons such as the petitioner and others use service dogs for easier commutation and movement.
During proceedings on October 6, counsel for the central government told the court that public objections and stakeholder feedback had been invited on the draft guidelines. The Centre also said the final SOP would be notified soon.
Suggestions recorded during the proceedings included maintaining a register of service dogs and assigning each animal a registration number. Another proposal was that every service dog should wear a pre-fixed coloured collar. The suggested marking would help members of the public and security personnel identify the animal as a service dog and distinguish it from an ordinary pet.
The court also took note of a suggestion that service dogs be muzzled when taken into crowded areas such as cinema halls, malls and hospitals. The proposal was presented as a measure intended to maintain peace and harmony in places where large numbers of people gather.
The Centre’s counsel assured the court that the suggestions made during the proceedings would be conveyed to the relevant authorities for consideration in the final guidelines. The court’s direction comes as the proposed SOP remains under preparation and stakeholder feedback is being processed.
The matter is expected to return before the Delhi High Court in January 2027, when the progress on finalising the guidelines is likely to be reviewed.
