The Supreme Court’s larger bench has reserved its order on stray dog removal in Delhi-NCR, defending earlier directions as necessary for public safety, amid sharp arguments over urgency, animal welfare, and alarming nationwide dog bite statistics.
The Supreme Court’s larger three-judge bench on Thursday reserved its order on the removal of stray dogs from Delhi-NCR. The bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria was hearing petitions challenging the court’s earlier direction to round up all stray dogs in the region and move them to shelter homes. During the hearing, the bench questioned how authorities had already begun picking up dogs before the earlier order was even made public.
Lawyers question urgency and handling of dogs
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal said that the earlier direction, which stressed there should be “no lethargy” in removing stray dogs, should be stayed. He asked where the dogs would be taken once caught.
Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s earlier comments had created “pre-emptive prejudice” and noted that the government itself had said in Parliament there were zero dog bite cases in Delhi this year.
Tushar Mehta, speaking for himself and not the government, countered that children could not safely play outside because of stray dogs, and urged the court to find a solution.