New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on the interim plea seeking a stay on the earlier directive that called for all stray dogs to be moved to shelters from the streets of Delhi-NCR. Coming down heavily on Delhi-NCR authorities for not implementing guidelines for animal control, the apex court also questioned why the authorities began rounding up stray dogs immediately after the August 11 order was uploaded late Wednesday (August 13).
The new three-judge bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N. V. Anjaria, criticised local bodies for failing to implement animal control guidelines, stating that “The whole problem is because of the inaction of the local authorities.”
Solicitor General
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the government, hailed the Supreme Court order. Slamming the animal welfare groups opposing the relocation drive, Mehta said, “There is a very loud vocal minority and silent suffering majority”, adding he has seen people posting videos of eating meat and then claiming to be animal lovers.
argued that rabies from dog bites had led to child deaths, highlighting over 37 lakh bite cases in a year. He said the problem must be resolved urgently, stressing, “Nobody is an animal hater.”
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal described the situation as “very serious” and sought a stay on parts of the August 1 directions. He was representing ‘Project Kindness’— an NGO caring for dogs.
Justice Vikram Nath asked “what is the objectionable part?”, referring to the ruling.
August 11 order and its fallout
The earlier two-judge bench of Justices J. B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan had ordered the permanent relocation of all strays in Delhi-NCR, citing an “extremely grim” situation caused by frequent dog bite incidents. The order included expanding shelter capacity within six to eight weeks while warning of strict action against anyone obstructing the relocation drive.
The ruling sparked nationwide protests from animal welfare advocates.