Today, On 22nd August, The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict on whether stray dogs in Delhi NCR should be shifted from the streets to shelters for ensuring human safety, after its earlier order caused widespread debate and strong public reactions.
New Delhi: Supreme Court will today deliver its decision on whether stray dogs in the National Capital Region should be relocated to shelters for public safety, after its earlier order on the issue caused widespread controversy.
Last week, a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court directed that stray dogs must be shifted to shelters within a period of eight weeks.
Here are the key points from this important story:
- A three-judge bench consisting of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria has heard the case and reserved its judgment earlier this week.
- In response, On August 11, to increasing reports of dog bites, rabies cases, and some fatalities, a bench led by Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan ruled that stray dogs must be relocated to shelters within eight weeks.
- The court mandated the creation of shelters for at least 5,000 dogs within this timeframe, emphasizing the need for knowledgeable staff to handle vaccination and sterilization.
- The Delhi government was instructed to begin capturing stray dogs, with the stipulation that these dogs cannot be returned to public areas.
- “All these animal activists, will they be able to bring back those who have fallen prey to rabies? We are not doing this for us, it is for public interest. So, no sentiments of any nature should be involved. For the time being, forget the rules,” the bench stated.
- This order sparked outrage among activists and dog lovers, who feared that the dogs would either be culled or die from illnesses in the shelters. Protests erupted nationwide, and the Chief Justice of India had to intervene, leading to the matter being escalated to a larger bench of the Supreme Court.
- The issue became highly polarizing, attracting opinions from various sectors including politicians, athletes, actors, and other public figures on social media and beyond.
- Activists argued that the August 11 order would be both costly and ineffective, asserting that sterilization is the only viable solution to manage the stray dog population.
- Critics highlighted that Delhi and other NCR cities like Noida and Gurugram lack the necessary infrastructure for mass relocation, and the short timeframe makes it nearly impossible to arrange.
- The government reported over 3.7 million dog bite incidents and 54 suspected rabies-related human deaths in 2024. Data provided by Union Minister SP Singh Baghel on July 22 indicated that there were 3,717,336 dog bite cases and 54 suspected human rabies deaths last year.
Earlier, a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan directed the Delhi government and municipal authorities to immediately begin picking up stray dogs from all localities and move them to shelter homes.
The directive comes against the backdrop of over 37 lakh dog bite cases and 54 suspected human rabies deaths reported in 2024 alone. The situation, the bench said, has reached an “extremely grim” point and demands urgent intervention to protect public safety, especially the lives of children.
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