New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to announce its decision on August 22 regarding a request to halt its directive from August 11, which mandated the permanent relocation of stray dogs from the streets to shelters in the Delhi-NCR region.
On August 14, a special bench consisting of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N V Anjaria reserved its ruling on this matter.
The earlier directive from a two-judge bench on August 11 instructed local authorities in the Delhi-NCR area to begin the collection of stray dogs from various neighborhoods 'as soon as possible' and transfer them to designated shelters.
This order was issued in response to a suo motu case initiated on July 28, following a media report highlighting incidents of stray dog bites that resulted in rabies, particularly affecting children in the capital.
The Supreme Court's decision on August 11 sparked widespread protests across the nation.
During the hearing on August 14, the special bench noted that the ongoing issue of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR stemmed from the 'inaction' of local authorities, who had failed to implement the Animal Birth Control Rules for sterilizing and vaccinating dogs.
The special bench, formed to address the suo motu case and other related petitions, has reserved its judgment on the request to stay certain directives issued on August 11.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi government, cited statistics indicating that India recorded approximately 3.715 million dog bite incidents in 2024, averaging nearly 10,000 cases daily.
He also referenced a report from the World Health Organization, which documented 305 fatalities related to dog bites last year, based on government and credible sources.
Lawyers representing various organizations requested the special bench to suspend some of the orders made by the two-judge bench.
On August 11, Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan instructed the Delhi-NCR authorities to initiate the relocation of all stray dogs to shelters, starting with the establishment of a facility to accommodate 5,000 dogs.
They warned of severe consequences for anyone obstructing this initiative and mandated the immediate creation of dog shelters or pounds, with a report due within eight weeks.
