The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Delhi government, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to begin removing stray dogs from all neighbourhoods, with priority given to vulnerable areas and cities.
A Bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan emphasised that the task must be carried out without compromise.
"NCT Delhi, MCD, NMDC shall at earlier start picking up stray dogs from all localities from more particularly vulnerable localities and cities. How to do it is for the authorities to look into and if they have to create a force, do it at earlier. However, this should be the first and foremost exercise to make all localities free of stray dogs. There should not be any compromise in undertaking any exercise," the Bench said.
The judges warned that any obstruction to the exercise would invite firm judicial action.
"If any individual or organization that comes in the way of picking stray dogs or rounding them up, we will proceed to take action against any such resistance," the Court added.
The order also directed the state and municipal bodies to establish dedicated dog shelters equipped with adequate staff for sterilisation and immunisation.
"The State of NCT Delhi, MCD and NDMC is directed to create dog shelters and report this Court creation of such infrastructure within 8 weeks. The dog shelters should have sufficient staff to sterilize and immunize. The dog shelter would be monitored by CCTV," the order said.
The Bench took a critical view of opposition from animal rights groups, questioning the practical implications of their stance.
"All these animal activists, will they be able bring back who have fallen prey to rabies," the Bench demanded.
Clarifying that the directive is in the public interest, the Court said dogs should be relocated away from residential areas.
"We are not doing this for us—it is for the public interest. so no sentiments of any nature should be involved. Action should be taken at the earlier. Pick up dogs from all localities and shift them to far off places," the Bench orally remarked.
The matter arose from a suo motu case initiated by the Court following repeated incidents of rabies and fatalities from stray dog attacks.
The Delhi government will implement in a time-bound manner the Supreme Court order for shifting stray dogs in the city to shelter homes, Development Minister Kapil Mishra said.
In a post on X, Mishra said, "Under the leadership of CM Rekha Gupta, the Delhi government's animal department will work with all agencies to study this order and move forward in the direction of its proper implementation." He said the court order will be implemented in a time-bound manner with special attention paid to proper welfare of the stray animals.
