Mishti, Coco, Cotton: A tale of 3 dogs, their rightful custody courtesy Delhi High Court

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Written by: Aamir Khan4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Apr 17, 2026 10:56 AM IST The Delhi High Court ordered to handover the custody of Mishti, Coco and Cotton to their adoptive parents. (Image generated using AI) Make us preferred source on Google Whatsapp twitter Facebook Reddit PRINT Delhi High Court news: “One cannot ignore the emotional bond that gets created between the person adopting the pet and the pet itself,” the Delhi High Court observed on Thursday while ordering to hand over the custody of Mishti, Coco and Cotton to their adoptive parents. All three are toy Pomeranians. Justice Girish Kathpalia‘s order underscored that the matter of custody of dogs could not be treated at par with that of an inanimate object. “The issue of custody of the rescued dogs, or for that matter any animal, cannot be treated at par with the issue of custody of an inanimate object. One cannot ignore the emotional bond that gets created between the person adopting the pet and the pet itself,” the order stated. The case stems from a raid on the house of one of the respondents, who was allegedly found to have kept his dogs in deplorable conditions. They were rescued and handed over by the police to an NGO. The organisation handed over the adoptive custody of the dogs to the petitioners before the Delhi High Court. However, the original owners claimed custody of the dogs and his plea was allowed by the trial court, which directed the release of the rescued dogs to him. Aggrieved by the trial court’s decision, the petitioners moved the high court. Their plea here challenged the trial court’s orders dated August 11, 2025 and January 30, 2026, on the release of the three canines. The case in the trial court involved the offence under Section 11 (treating animals with cruelty) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The question before the Delhi High Court was not whether the original owner was abusing the dogs, as it would fall under the purview of the trial court. “The issue before this Court is the emotional trauma which those voiceless animals would be undergoing after being separated from their adoptive parents (the present petitioners),” the order said. The three pet dogs that are the subject of this petition, the Delhi High Court said, are female toy Pomeranians, Mishti, Coco, and Cotton, all of whom are distinguishable because they answer the call by their particular names, according to the petitioners’ counsel. Considering their welfare, both sides agreed on the petitioners having the custody of the pets, the court noted and said, “To be specific, respondent number 3 (original owner) present in courtroom has been explained the entire discussion in Hindi and he, in the interest of those three dogs, is willing to return those dogs to the petitioners with the condition that in case ultimately he gets acquitted, custody of those three dogs would be returned to him, subject to their welfare.” The Delhi High Court modified the orders of the trial court, directing the release of Mishti, Coco and Cotton to the petitioners by Friday. “…with consent of both sides, the impugned orders are modified, thereby directing that the present respondent no.3 shall release those three female pomeranian dogs namely Mishti, Coco and Cotton to the present petitioners through the IO by tomorrow; and the superdarinamas (bond) of Rs 50,000 each shall be submitted by the present petitioners before the learned trial court tomorrow itself, assuring that the petitioners would produce those three dogs before the trial court at the stage of evidence, if so directed,” the court held. Aamir Khan is the Head-Legal Project for Indian Express Digital, based in New Delhi. With 15 years of professional experience, Aamir's background as a legal professional and a veteran journalist allows him to bridge the gap between complex judicial proceedings and public understanding. Expertise Specialized Legal Authority: Aamir holds an LLB from CCS University, providing him with the formal legal training necessary to analyze constitutional matters, statutes, and judicial precedents with technical accuracy. Experience  Press Trust of India (PTI): Served as News Editor, where he exercised final editorial judgment on legal stories emerging from the Supreme Court of India and various High Courts for the nation's primary news wire. Bar and Bench: As Associate Editor, he led the vanguard of long-form legal journalism, conducting exclusive interviews and producing deep-dive investigative series on the most pressing legal issues of the day. Foundational Reporting: His expertise is built on years of "boots-on-the-ground" reporting for The Indian Express (Print) and The Times of India, covering the legal beats in the high-intensity hubs of Mumbai and Delhi. Multidisciplinary Academic Background: LLB, CCS University. PG Diploma in Journalism (New Media), Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai. BSc in Life Sciences and Chemistry, Christ College, Bangalore—an asset for reporting on environmental law, patent litigation, and forensic evidence. ... Read More