Delhi Stray Dogs Issue : Rabies Threat vs. Dog Rights

‘’The idea behind coexistence is not the existence of one’s life at the cost of the other,’’ said many on the streets of Delhi protesting against the August 11 order by the Supreme Court of India. 

A bench of justices comprising JB Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan ordered local bodies and the Delhi government to capture stray dogs in Delhi and take them to the shelter homes created across the Delhi NCR within eight weeks and never to release them. They further stated that anyone found picking up the stray dogs and releasing them in a short time would face contempt action from the court. 

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta supported the decision of the court.

Animal Rights Groups and Citizens’ Reaction

Many animal rights groups like PETA considered the decision of the SC as unfeasible, as it is impossible to accommodate and relocate the huge canine community in the shelters because they would need around 2000 shelters to relocate 10 lakhs of the dog community.

Pet lovers came to the streets of Delhi asking SC to change their decision, as they don’t want stray dogs to get caged and get mentally traumatized, stressed, and aggressive, as they have a habit of roaming freely. 

People are also doubting whether there will be proper facilities for dogs, like proper food, sanitation, cleanliness, necessary infrastructure, vets, adequate care, or not. 

Activists are also claiming that mass relocation can lead to disease outbreaks, which can hamper the physical health of the dogs. They also question the point of taking the dogs to the shelter when they can give rabies shots to all the stray dogs if they want.

This order is against the Animal Birth Control Rules 2023, which prohibit permanent relocation and promote sterilization and vaccination to stray dogs.

People are protesting because the Mayor of Delhi said that there is no proper shelter house for stray dogs yet, and it will be a long process. 

Supreme Court’s Reply

India is not a rabies-free country, and the threat of dog bites is increasing day by day in India, especially to elderly persons, children, disabled persons, and people who are forced to sleep on the streets and don’t have enough money to bear the medical expenses. 

Rabies is a deadly disease, and the decision is made only after the continuous systematic failure of the concerned authorities over the last 2 decades, which has led to this decision.

Still Supreme Court took the people’s opinion, and a three-judge bench was formed again to re-hear the issue. On Friday, 22-08-2025, the Supreme Court gave the following verdict:

• The court reversed its 11 August order and called it impractical as Delhi lacks infrastructure.
• The dogs will now be picked up, sterilized, vaccinated, dewormed, and put back to the exact place from where they were picked. No permanent relocation will be done.
• Dogs that will have aggressive behaviour, suspected rabies, or have rabies will be kept in the shelter house.
• No feeding will be done to stray dogs in public places.
• Municipal authorities will make feeding zones in every ward so that people can come and feed the stray dogs there.
• Citizens can adopt stray dogs through municipal bodies and must ensure that they will not return back to the streets.
• The court warned that individuals will be fined if they obstruct the work of the officials or feed dogs in public places.
• This is not limited to Delhi but can be adopted by states and UTs all over the country.