New Delhi, The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre to finalise the standard operating procedure for the use of service dogs to assist differently-abled persons.
The court was hearing a petition by Dhananjay Sanjogta Foundation raising the issue of lack of a framework for the use of therapy or service animals by persons with disabilities. The Centre’s counsel assured the court that the inputs will be communicated to the concerned authorities for consideration and incorporation in the SOP. A bench of Justices Dinesh Mehta and Aditi Choudhary said it expects the authorities to finalise the SOP by January 7, 2027, the next date of hearing in the matter. During the hearing on October 6, the counsel for the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities placed before the court a draft SOP on ‘service dogs for assisting disabled persons in India’ and said that objections have been invited from the public and all the stakeholders, and that the SOP would soon be finalised.
“While expecting that the respondent nos.1 and 2 will finalise the SOP by the next date of hearing so that persons like the petitioner and others can use service dogs for their easy commutation/ movement, we post this matter on January 7, 2027,” the bench said.
