NEW DELHI – Street Dog News Complete Story. The Supreme Court of India has reserved its order on a series of pleas challenging a recent directive to remove all stray dogs from the streets of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). The case, which has ignited a heated debate between public safety advocates and animal rights activists, was heard by a three-judge Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N.V. Anjaria.
The new Bench was constituted after a previous two-judge Bench, comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan, issued a sweeping order on August 11 to remove all stray dogs from streets and public spaces in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad. This order, passed in a suo motu case initiated over a rise in rabies and dog bite incidents, mandated the relocation of all strays to shelters and a complete prohibition on their release back to the streets. The bench gave authorities eight weeks to create new shelters and warned of strict action, including contempt of court, against anyone who obstructed the process.
Justice Pardiwala, in the earlier ruling, had dismissed the existing Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules—which mandate that sterilized dogs be returned to their territories—as “absurd” and ineffective. “Children must feel safe while cycling and playing,” he declared, “The elderly must feel safe on their walks.” The ruling was driven by concerns over public safety, particularly for children and the elderly, with municipal data showing 35,198 animal bite incidents and 49 rabies cases in Delhi between January and June of this year.
The August 11 order triggered widespread protests from animal rights activists and organizations. Protesters, including “community feeders” who care for stray dogs, took to the streets, arguing that the ruling was inhumane and impractical. Activists, including those from PETA India and the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations, highlighted that the permanent relocation of hundreds of thousands of dogs would be financially unviable and that there are not nearly enough shelters to house them all. They argue that the focus should be on large-scale sterilization, vaccination, and public awareness campaigns, as mandated by the existing ABC rules, rather than mass removal.
The conflict between the August 11 order and previous rulings from other Benches of the Supreme Court, which emphasized the importance of following the ABC rules, led to the matter being mentioned before Chief Justice B.R. Gavai. The case was subsequently shifted to the new three-judge Bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath for a fresh hearing.
During the hearing, the Bench heard arguments on the suo motu case, a fresh petition challenging the August 11 order, and a pending appeal regarding the sterilization program. The Bench observed that the entire problem stemmed from the “inaction of local authorities” in properly implementing existing rules. The court criticized civic bodies for failing to conduct proper sterilization drives and build adequate shelters, despite receiving funds for the purpose.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the government, defended the August 11 order, citing alarming figures on dog bites and rabies deaths and framing the issue as a conflict between a “vocal minority” of animal lovers and a “silent majority” of citizens who suffer from the stray dog menace. Senior advocates representing the petitioners, however, sought a stay on the August 11 order, arguing that without the infrastructure in place to house the dogs, the directive could lead to their culling. They emphasized that a solution must be humane and align with existing legislation.
After a day of detailed arguments and submissions from all sides, the three-judge Bench reserved its order. The court is expected to rule on whether the August 11 directive to remove strays from the streets of Delhi-NCR will be stayed or modified, and will likely provide further guidance on how civic authorities should handle the stray dog population going forward.
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