Supreme Court orders relocation of Delhi-NCR’s stray dogs, but this is what Animal Welfare Board said in 2022

What Animal Welfare Board said in 2022

The SC order, which is likely to be challenged by animal rights groups and NGOs contradicts the Animal Welfare Board of India’s advisory in 2022, which clearly stated that stray dogs should not be relocated.
“The  Supreme Court has in various orders specifically mentioned that relocation of dogs cannot be permitted. The Municipal Corporations need to implement the ABC and Anti Rabies Program jointly,” the AWBI advisory issued on 7 December 2022 had stated.

“All the RWAs and Citizen of India are requested not to take any kind of adverse action against the feeders of dogs, nor to relocate or resort to poisoning of dogs or other atrocities which is against the law of the land,” it said further said.

‘Do not block relocation of stray dogs’

However, in its order on Monday, the SC said “for the time being, forget the rules,” while also warning animal rights groups against blocking relocation attempts by local bodies.”If any individual or organisation comes in the way of picking stray dogs or rounding them up, we will proceed to take action against any such resistance,” the SC said.

The SC, while stressing the importance of making the streets stray dog-free, also asked if animal lovers could bring back those who died of rabies.
“All these animal activists, will they be able to bring back those who have fallen prey to rabies? We need to make streets absolutely free of stray dogs,” the court said.

Illegal and impractical: FIAPO

Reacting to the SC order, Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) CEO Bharati Ramachandran said it runs contrary to global public health guidance, India’s own laws, and humane, evidence-based practice.
“India’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023 — fully aligned with WHO recommendations — require that sterilised and vaccinated community dogs be returned to their original territories after treatment. These rules are designed to ensure stable, protected populations and long-term rabies reduction. Forced removal directly contravenes these provisions and disregards proven in-situ management models that have brought rabies cases down to near-zero in cities like Jaipur and Goa, and nationally in countries such as the Netherlands,” Ramachandran said.

She also pointed out that the mass sheltering of healthy, vaccinated dogs is impractical and inhumane.
“Overcrowded facilities cause extreme stress, injury, disease outbreaks, and suffering, while diverting scarce resources away from effective rabies prevention: mass vaccination, sterilisation, and community engagement. WHO guidance and global best practice recommend that shelters be reserved only for dogs who are sick, injured, or unable to survive on the streets, with healthy community dogs continuing to live in their home territories,” she said.