Will Delhi-NCR See Stray Dogs Relocated? Supreme Court To Deliver Interim Order Today
The Supreme Court will rule on relocating Delhi-NCR stray dogs to shelters amid concerns over rabies cases and dog bites.
The Supreme Court will pronounce its decision on August 22 regarding a plea seeking a stay on its earlier order mandating the relocation of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to designated shelters. A special bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria had reserved its order on August 14 after hearing multiple parties, including the Delhi government and animal welfare organisations. The bench observed that the problem stemmed from “inaction” by local authorities.
Delhi Government Flags Rising Rabies Cases
In the August 14 hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi government, stressed that the matter required resolution rather than confrontation.
“There is a vocal minority. I have seen videos, interviews. People eating meat, chicken, etc., and now posing as animal lovers and objecting to this,” Mehta argued, highlighting that children were dying due to rabies, as quoted by news agency PTI.
He further contended that sterilisation programmes did not eliminate rabies and that immunisation alone could not prevent injuries from dog attacks. Citing official figures, Mehta told the court that over 37 lakh dog bite incidents were reported in 2024, while a World Health Organisation report noted 305 rabies deaths in a year.
“Ultimately, the solution is not in the rules (Animal Birth Control Rules). Your lordships will have to intervene,” he said.
Concerns Raised Over Dog Sheltering, Sterilisation
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing an NGO seeking a stay on parts of the apex court’s August 11 directive, cautioned that the authorities’ current approach could lead to culling of dogs.
“They (authorities) are going and picking up dogs. Where will they go? They will be culled and that is what is going to happen,” Sibal said, questioning why municipal corporations had failed to construct shelters or carry out sterilisation drives despite receiving funds.
Another senior advocate, Abhishek Singhvi, challenged the government’s claim of rabies-related deaths, pointing out that “there were zero rabies deaths in Delhi from 2022 to 2025,” based on data presented in Parliament.
“But to try and create a horror situation that people left, right and centre are dying from rabies, at least the government should look at its own figures by its own minister on the floor of the House a few weeks ago,” Singhvi said.
Earlier SC Order Sought Immediate Relocation Of Dogs In Shelters
The larger bench hearing followed the Supreme Court’s August 11 order by a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, which had directed Delhi-NCR authorities to set up dog shelters or pounds and submit a status report within eight weeks. The order also barred the release of stray dogs from shelters.
During that hearing, the SC bench had asked the authorities to begin relocating dogs from the streets to shelters, starting with infrastructure to house at least 5,000 animals.
Public Protests and Reactions
The directive triggered widespread protests across the country, with several animal welfare groups and citizens expressing strong opposition. When the matter was later taken up by the three-judge special bench, it noted that the stray dog menace in Delhi-NCR was largely a result of municipal inaction in implementing the Animal Birth Control Rules, which mandate sterilisation and vaccination of canines.
Lawyers representing multiple organisations urged the bench to put on hold some of the August 11 directions, contending that mass relocation would create new challenges and hardship.
Related Video
Breaking: Elderly Couple Found Murdered at Home in Delhi’s Shahdara, Police Probe Underway
Top Headlines
