The Delhi High Court has urged the Centre to finalise a nationwide Standard Operating Procedure for service dogs assisting persons with disabilities, including rules on registration, identification collars and their use in crowded public places.
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 commuting 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 that the final SOP would be notified soon.
Suggestions placed before the court included maintaining a register of service dogs and assigning each animal a registration number. Another proposal was to provide every service dog with a pre-fixed coloured collar, allowing members of the public and security personnel to identify the animal and distinguish it from other dogs.
The proceedings also addressed the use of service dogs in crowded locations such as cinema halls, malls and hospitals. The court took note of a suggestion that service dogs should be muzzled in such places to help maintain peace and harmony. The source report does not state that these suggestions have already been adopted as final rules.
The government counsel assured the court that the suggestions recorded during the proceedings would be conveyed to the relevant authorities for consideration in the final guidelines. The proposed SOP is expected to establish a common framework for identifying and managing service dogs as they accompany persons with disabilities through public spaces.
The court’s direction places the immediate responsibility on the Centre to complete the consultation and notification process before the matter returns for hearing in January 2027. Until the final SOP is issued, the suggestions discussed during the proceedings remain proposals rather than notified requirements.
