The Supreme Court will deliver its order on Friday, August 22 on a plea seeking a stay on its August 11 directive to permanently relocate stray dogs from the streets to shelters in Delhi-NCR. A special three-judge bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N V Anjaria had reserved its decision on August 14.
On August 11, a two-judge bench of the apex court issued several directions, including instructing authorities in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) to begin removing stray dogs from all localities “at the earliest” and relocating them to designated shelters. These directions were part of a suo motu case initiated on July 28 following a media report on rabies cases caused by dog bites, particularly among children, in the national capital.
The August 11 order sparked widespread protests across the country.
The matter later came before the special bench on August 14, which observed that the stray dog problem in Delhi-NCR was a result of the “inaction” of local authorities in implementing the Animal Birth Control Rules related to sterilisation and immunisation.
The special bench, set up to hear the suo motu case along with related petitions, reserved its verdict on an interim request to stay some of the August 11 directions.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi government, cited data showing that India recorded around 37.15 lakh dog bite cases in 2024, averaging nearly 10,000 per day. He also referred to a media report indicating that the World Health Organisation, using official and other reliable sources, reported 305 deaths from dog bites last year.
Lawyers for several organisations urged the special bench to put a hold on some of the earlier directions.
On August 11, the bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan directed authorities to start relocating stray dogs to shelters and initially set up facilities to accommodate 5,000 dogs. The court warned of the strictest action against anyone obstructing the process and ordered immediate creation of shelters or pounds, with a compliance report to be submitted within eight weeks.
Animal activists to hold live hearing at Jantar Mantar
Several animal activist groups and NGOs will be holding a live screening of the Supreme Court on the stray dogs matter from 10 am at Jantar Mantar. These groups have been protesting against the SC order on relocation of stray dogs from the streets.
