Several well-known Bollywood personalities including Janhvi Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Chinmayi Sripaada, Varun Grover, and Vir Das have strongly criticised the Supreme Court’s recent directive to relocate all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to shelters. Many have described the ruling as a death sentence for all dogs, voicing concerns about the animals’ welfare and the lack of compassion in the decision. The Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, ordered that all areas in NCT Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, and Ghaziabad must be cleared of stray dogs, with no exceptions. The court further ruled that animals captured during the drive cannot be released back onto the streets.
Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan took to Instagram Stories to share a heartfelt statement against the court’s order. The note acknowledged existing concerns about stray dogs but argued that “caging an entire community of animals is not a solution.” The statement read, “They call it a menace. We call it a heartbeat. Today, the Supreme Court says, take every stray dog off the streets of Delhi-NCR and lock them away. No sunlight. No freedom. No familiar faces they greet every morning. But these aren’t just ‘stray dogs.’ They’re the ones who wait outside your tea stall for a biscuit. The silent night guards for shopkeepers. The wagging tails that welcome children home from school. They’re the warmth in a cold, uncaring city. Yes, there are issues, bites, safety concerns, but caging an entire community is not a solution, it’s an erasure. What’s truly needed? Large-scale sterilisation programmes, regular vaccination drives, designated community feeding areas, and proper adoption efforts. Not punishment. Not imprisonment. A society that cannot protect its voiceless is one that is losing its soul. Today it’s the dogs. Tomorrow… who will it be?”
Janhvi Kapoor’s Instagram Story On SC’s Order (Image: Instagram)
Varun Dhawan’s Instagram Story On SC’s Order (Image: Instagram)
Singer Chinmayi Sripaada expressed her outrage on X, and wrote, “I read this as a death sentence for all dogs. People abandon Huskies, Labradors, and German Shepherds after breeding them to exhaustion in India. ‘Shelters’, indeed. Since dogs are considered the vehicle of Lord Kala Bhairava, may He intervene.”
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Filmmaker Siddharth Anand also condemned the ruling, and said , “There’s simply no compassion left. Who will ensure they’re fed in those shelters? At least on the streets, some kind-hearted souls still feed these voiceless beings. In shelters, they’ll starve. This is a death warrant. Someone, please start a petition. We must stop this genocide. I stand with you!”
Actor Adivi Sesh added, “As a citizen who respects both the letter and the spirit of the law, I am deeply disturbed by the recent order calling for the mass confinement of street dogs in Delhi-NCR. This measure not only flouts our legal responsibilities but also betrays the compassionate principles that India is meant to uphold.”
Adivi Sesh Instagram Story On SC’s Order (Image: Instagram)
Additionally, authorities have been instructed to set up shelters with enough staff to sterilise and vaccinate the dogs. The court also warned that contempt proceedings would be taken against anyone obstructing the execution of the order.