Delhi stray dogs case: Supreme Court reserves order on Delhi-NCR stray dogs matter, pulls up civic body for lack of action

Delhi stray dogs case: Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Supreme Court bench that the issue of multiple fatalities due to dog bites needs to be resolved.

By: Express News Service

New Delhi | Updated: August 14, 2025 12:02 PM IST

Earlier, the Supreme Court directed the Delhi Government, civic bodies, and authorities of Noida, Gurgaon, and Ghaziabad to pick up stray dogs and move them to shelters. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)

Delhi stray dogs SC hearing update: A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its interim order on the issue of managing the stray dog population in the National Capital Region (NCR). The top court’s intervention comes just days after another bench initiated suo motu proceedings and ordered relocation of strays from the streets to dedicated shelters.

“Everyone who has come to intervene must take responsibility,” Justice Vikram Nath orally observed.

The bench, headed by Justice Nath, and also comprising Justices Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria, directed all intervenors to file affidavits with supporting evidence. A host of senior advocates, including Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Sidharth Luthra, appeared on behalf of animal rights organisations and individuals in support of stray dogs and sought a stay on the two-judge bench order of August 11.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the government, argued in favour of relocating stray dogs to shelters. “Sterilisation does not stop rabies. Even if you immunise that does not stop mutilation of children,” Mehta argued.

“There is a vocal minority view against a silent majority view,” he added. Mehta said that while the Rules exist, they are inadequate and the top court must intervene to address the issue.

The 2023 Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules deal with the management of the stray dog and cat population. The Rules reclassified them as “community animals”, included provisions for community animal feeding and specified that stray dogs cannot be displaced from their regular place of habitation. The SC order on August 11 specifically directed that the strays should not be brought back to their habitat after sterilisation.

The suo-motu case by a bench headed by Justice JB Pardiwala was re-assigned by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai to the three-judge bench headed by Justice Nath.

(With inputs from PTI)

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