SC orders removal of all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR

Describing the stray dog menace as "extremely grim", the Supreme Court on Monday directed the Delhi Government, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, New Delhi Municipal Council, and the Noida and Gurugram authorities to pick up all strays from all localities at the earliest and put them in dog shelters.

"Start picking up all stray dogs at the earliest in all possible manner and shift them to a far-off place…whether sterilised or not, society should be free from stray dogs. You should not find a single stray dog moving around in any locality of the city or on the outskirts,” a Bench led by Justice JB Pardiwala said, terming it the first step towards solution to the problem.

Court talks tough

* Authorities can use force, if necessary, to pick up stray dogs

* Contempt case against animal activists, if they obstruct removal

* Not a single stray dog to be released; stern action if order not followed

* Helpline in a week to report dog bites, CCTV-monitored shelters in 8 weeks

* Authorities to publish details of places where rabies vaccine available

"This is the time to act. All these animal activists and all these so-called animal lovers…will they bring back all those children who have fallen prey to rabies? Will they put life back in those children? Let's take a practical view of the matter. When the situation demands, you have to act,” the court said, refusing to entertain intervention applications of animal rights activists.

The Bench, which also included Justice R Mahadevan, ordered that dog shelters with CCTV cameras should be created to accommodate around 5,000 stray dogs and sufficient personnel should be deployed there to sterilise and immunise them. Dog shelters will be monitored by CCTV cameras to ensure no dogs were taken out, it said.

“We have noticed one very absurd and unreasonable rule, if you pick up a stray dog from one part, you sterilise the dog and put him in the same place. That's absolutely absurd and doesn't make any sense at all. Why should that stray dog come back to the locality and for what?" it wondered.

The top court warned that if any person or organisation obstructed the removal of stray dogs by the civic authorities, strict action will be taken against them. The authorities can use force, if necessary, to pick up stray dogs, it said, seeking a report before the next hearing.

"Infants and young children, not at any cost, should fall prey to rabies. The action should inspire confidence that they can move freely without fear of being bitten by stray dogs. No sentiments should be involved…" said the Bench which had on July 28 taken suo motu cognisance of a news report about death of a six-year-old girl in the national capital due to rabies caused by stray dog bites.

Directing the authorities to create a helpline within a week to enable people to immediately report dog bite cases, the Bench said, "We are issuing these directions keeping larger public interest in mind.”

Every day, hundreds of dog bites were being reported in the city and on its outskirts, leading to rabies and ultimately, children and the elderly were falling prey to the dreadful disease, the Bench had noted on July 28. 

The top court directed the MCD, NDMC and appropriate authorities of Noida and Gurugram to maintain the record of daily stray dogs captured and detained. It emphasized that not a single stray dog should be released, otherwise the entire exercise would go futile.

Terming availability of vaccines as a major concern, it directed the authorities concerned to put detailed information of vaccines available, the stock of vaccines and the persons who have sought it.

According to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, the number of street dogs in India was 1.53 crore in 2019. As many a 37,15,713 cases of dog bite were reported in 2024 with Maharashtra (4,85,345), Tamil Nadu (4,80,427), Gujarat (3,92,837), Karnataka (3,61,494) and Bihar (2,63,930) occupying the top five spots. As many as 54 deaths caused by rabies were reported in 2024 -- Maharashtra (14), Uttar Pradesh (6), Karnataka (5), Meghalaya (4) and Kerala (3) figuring at the top. During the first month of this year 4,29,664 dog bite cases have already been reported. Delhi recorded 17,874 dog bites cases in 2023 which rose to 25,210 in 2024. This year, in January alone 3,196 dog bites cases were recorded in the national capital.