After a wave of protests across India over the Supreme Court’s recent decision to relocate stray dogs in the Delhi-NCR region, a newly constituted three-judge bench is set to hear the suo motu matter on Thursday. The case will now be taken up by Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N V Anjaria. This follows the 11 August ruling by Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, which directed authorities to remove all stray dogs from public spaces and move them into shelters “at the earliest” in light of what the bench called an “extremely grim” rise in dog bite incidents.

According to news agency PTI, the earlier bench had observed that dog attacks had created a grave situation, particularly in Delhi-NCR, and called for the immediate permanent relocation of strays. It ordered the Delhi administration to establish shelters for about 5,000 dogs within six to eight weeks, with facilities to be expanded over time.

The order also warned of strict legal action, including contempt proceedings, against anyone obstructing the relocation drive.

When petitioners in another stray dog-related matter raised their plea before Chief Justice of India B R Gavai while citing the 11 August decision, he assured them the issue would be examined. The PTI report also noted that during Wednesday’s hearing, a lawyer referred to a May 2024 order by a bench led by Justice J K Maheshwari, which had sent similar stray dog petitions to the respective high courts.

The petition filed by the Conference for Human Rights (India) has alleged that the Animal Birth Control (Dog) Rules, 2001—which mandate regular sterilisation and vaccination programmes to control stray populations—are not being effectively implemented.

Animal rights activists take to the streets

On Wednesday, animal lovers and activists gathered to demand that the Supreme Court withdraw its relocation directive. Demonstrators carried placards reading “Independence Day, for Whom?” and included NCP (SP) spokesperson Anish Gawande, activist Rai Manvi, and Ambika Shukla, founder of People for Animals and sister of former Union minister and noted animal rights advocate Maneka Gandhi.

“There are divisions everywhere over religion, language, and now even between ‘animal lovers and animal haters’,” Shukla said, urging the public to recognise “how cruel” the order is.

Another protester, Vidhya Pandey, shared her personal experience: “We were scratched once while playing with them and took rabies injections, but never faced any health issues. There are no shelter homes in Delhi. Where will they take these dogs?”

The gathering, as reported by PTI, saw protesters chanting “Save our dogs” and “Delhi government, roll back the order” while also singing the Hindi song Hum Honge Kamyaab (“We Shall Overcome”). Some held posters of dogs alongside images of Lord Shiva.

On Monday, the Supreme Court had also directed the Delhi government and municipal bodies in Gurugram, Noida, and Ghaziabad to remove all stray dogs from public spaces and shift them to shelters, noting that rising cases of rabies, especially among children, had created an “extremely grim” situation.