The Supreme Court on Thursday, August 14, put on hold the case about stray dogs in Delhi-NCR. This came days after its earlier order to remove all stray dogs from public spaces triggered protests, political criticism, and outrage from animal rights groups.
Bench Reviews Urgently Listed Case
A three-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N V Anjaria heard the matter. The case was listed urgently after Chief Justice B R Gavai, a day earlier, responded to an advocate’s plea questioning the removal order by saying, “I will look into it.”
Court Blames Local Authorities
During the hearing, Justice Nath said the crisis was due to the “inaction of local authorities.” He remarked, “Local authorities are not doing what they should be doing. They should be here taking responsibility. Everyone who has come here to file intervention should take responsibility.” The bench pointed out that the issue pits “human suffering” against the concerns of “animal lovers.” It asked all interveners to submit affidavits and evidence.
From Two-Judge Order to Three-Judge Review
On August 11, Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan ordered authorities to begin rounding up stray dogs “at the earliest” across NCR, starting with 5,000 dogs in six to eight weeks. They also barred any released strays from returning to streets, colonies, or public spaces.
The order instructed authorities to set up dog shelters immediately and report back in eight weeks. The written judgment, uploaded Wednesday, stated that all captured dogs must be “sterilised, dewormed and immunised as required by Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023.”
Public and Political Outrage
That same night, protesters gathered at India Gate. Police detained several participants. Leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Varun Gandhi, and Maneka Gandhi opposed the move. PETA India called the order “impractical, illogical, and illegal.”
MCD Begins Action
Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said it had already picked up over 100 strays. It converted 20 Animal Birth Control centres into shelters. It also earmarked an 85-acre site in Ghoga Dairy for larger facilities.