The Supreme Court order on relocation of stray dogs to shelters in Delhi-NCR has stirred up a massive debate across the country. The apex court called it a “progressive exercise”, and said the decision was taken keeping in mind the larger good amid growing menace of dog bites. However, several dog lovers and activists have voiced concerns over the “inhumane” nature of the decision and called protests over the order. Many in favour of the judgment have argued that even for animal lovers, a small act of carelessness can turn dangerous, and sometimes even life-threatening. India has witnessed numerous such incidents over the years, where both pets and stray animals have harmed people. Among them, dogs account for the highest number of cases. At times, a pet dog slips away from its owner and bites a passerby. In other cases, stray dogs attack, often targeting children and the elderly. In light of these concerns, the Supreme Court on Monday directed officials in Delhi-NCR to place all stray dogs in shelter homes within eight weeks.
According to the Supreme Court, “Infants and young children should not be allowed to become victims of rabies under any circumstances. This action should create confidence in them that they can move around freely without the fear of being bitten by stray dogs. There should be no place for any kind of emotions in this.”
According to the Live Law website, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi government, advocated for stringent measures, saying that “sterilisation not only increases the dog population, but it also does not reduce the ability of dogs to spread rabies”.
However, conservationists have criticised the implementation of the move. Conservation biologist Bahar Dutt, in a post on X, called the top court’s order “impractical and unscientific” and asked, “Where are the shelters to house thousands of dogs?”
Why Supreme Court Ordered Relocation Of Stray Dogs To Shelters?
Due to the continuous increase in dog bite incidents and deaths from rabies, the Supreme Court ordered that all stray dogs must be moved into shelter homes within eight weeks.The Supreme Court bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan called the existing Animal Birth Control Rules of 2023 “absurd”.
The bench said, “For now, forget all the rules. The immediate priority is to pick up the dogs from every neighborhood and put them in shelters.” The bench further ordered Delhi-NCR officials to generate helpline numbers within a week to report dog bite incidents.
The Supreme Court also said that if any person or organisation evicts these stray dogs from shelter homes or tries to evict them, strict action will be taken against them.
What Is Animal Birth Control Rule 2023?
The Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, are a set of guidelines issued by the Central Government to manage the stray dog population.
The main objective of these rules is to control the number of stray dogs through sterilisation and vaccination and to prevent the spread of rabies. These rules were also framed to reduce human-dog conflicts and promote animal welfare.
The Supreme court called this rule absurd because as per the rules, a stray dog is picked up from an area, sterilised and sent back to the same area.
Why Supreme Court Order Becomes ‘Mission Impossible’ In Delhi
Following the Supreme Court order, Delhi’s civic authorities are faced with a near-impossible task. According to Hindustan Times, experts have cautioned that the city does not have the infrastructure to fulfil the order, as there is a lack of permanent shelters for dogs, no up-to-date data on the stray population, a shortage of staff, and lack of funds to house and feed the estimated 10 lakh plus animals.
Citing various challenges from lack of space to inadequate funds, experts and officials are unanimous that the capital is not at all prepared to comply with the order. They also said that the failure of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) animal birth control (ABC) and vaccination programme has compounded the problem. Because of this, mass culling of dogs now is not only impractical but also inhumane.
Who Welcomed And Who Questioned SC Order ?
While many people and groups including Residents’ Welfare Association (RWAs), have welcomed this order of the Supreme Court, many others including PETA also raised questions on this.
Atul Goyal, president of United Resident Joint Actions (URJA), said that there was a continuous increase in the cases of dog attacks, and this order of the Supreme Court will help bring the problem under control.
Delhi Mayor Iqbal Singh also praised SC order and said, “I welcome Supreme Court’s order as the people of Delhi were facing a lot of problems. We will try our best to implement this order in the next 6 weeks. We don’t have shelter homes, but we have 10 operational sterilisation centres. We can make temporary and permanent shelter homes. MCD and the Delhi government will ensure that no one faces problems due to stray dogs. We will make an action plan after holding meetings with our officers.”
The India wing of the American animal rights animal protection organisation PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment Of Animals) called SC order “illogical, illegal and impractical”. PETA India Advocacy Associate, Shaurya Agrawal was quoted by ANI, saying, “This particular order is impractical, illogical and according to the animal birth control rules, also illegal. The Delhi government had 24 years to implement these sterilisation programs, implement the ABC rules. Delhi has 10 lakh dogs and only half of them are sterilised.Housing them in shelters is impractical. It is very difficult. This is going to create chaos and problems. Removal of dogs is inhumane, is cruelty in itself, and the conditions within the shelters are going to be very bad. We are exploring all our legal avenues. And in the past, we have met the Delhi government and have urged them to implement the ABC rules properly and the sterilisation programs in the city.”
The Federation Of Indian Animal Protection Organisation called the SC order “shocking”. The organisation said the order goes against “global public health guidelines, India’s own laws, and humanitarian and evidence-based practices”.
Over 37 Lakh Dog Bite, 54 Rabies Deaths Reported In 2024
A total of 37,17,336 cases of dog bites were reported last year and the number of ‘suspected human deaths due to rabies’ was recorded at 54, according to data presented in Parliament by Union Minister SP Singh Baghel on July 22, 2025. He also clarified that it is the duty of municipalities to control the stray dog population, and they are running animal birth control (ABC) programmes for this purpose. Giving more details on these measures, he said his ministry had sent an advisory to the states in November 2024. It directed local bodies to implement the ABC programme and related activities, with the main goal of ensuring “safety of children, especially young children, from stray dog attacks”, according to a report by NDTV.