The Supreme Court has reserved its decision on pleas challenging its recent directive to remove all stray dogs from neighbourhoods across Delhi-NCR and place them in shelter homes, following a heated courtroom debate balancing public safety with animal welfare.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria, hearing petitions on Thursday, said it would issue an interim order on the August 11 directive of another bench that called for a complete removal of strays from the streets.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Delhi government, described the matter as a clash between “a loud vocal minority” and “a silent suffering majority”. He argued, “In a democracy, there is a vocal majority and one who silently suffers. We have seen videos of people eating chicken, eggs, etc., and then claiming to be animal lovers. It is an issue to be resolved. Children are dying… Sterilisation does not stop rabies; even if you immunise them, that does not stop mutilation of children.”
Citing World Health Organisation figures, Mehta told the court that 37 lakh dog bites were recorded in India in 2024, with 305 rabies deaths—most victims being children under 15. “Dogs do not have to be killed… they have to be separated. Parents cannot send children out to play. Young girls are mutilated,” he said.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing an NGO, pressed for a stay on the August 11 order, questioning whether municipal bodies had created adequate shelter facilities or ensured sterilisation. “Now dogs are picked up. But the order says once they are sterilised, do not leave them out in the community,” Sibal said.
Also read: In the interest of humans as well as dogs: SC on stray dogs case
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi also opposed the removal order, noting there had been zero rabies deaths in Delhi this year despite dog bite incidents. “Of course, bites are bad, but you cannot create a horror situation like this,” he said.
Justice Nath observed that the crisis stems from years of inaction in implementing the Animal Birth Control Rules. “Rules and laws are framed by Parliament,
but they are not followed. Local authorities are not doing what they should be doing. On the one hand, humans are suffering, and on the other hand, animal lovers are here,” he remarked.
The August 11 ruling, delivered by a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, ordered authorities in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad to make all localities stray dog-free, stressing that no captured dog be released back on the streets. The court maintained its order was “not driven by momentary impulse” but the result of “thorough and careful deliberation” after two decades of what it described as systemic failure to address a serious public safety concern.
The bench emphasised that the measure was “in the interest of humans as well as dogs” and “not personal”.
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