Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on Wednesday agreed to look into a plea related to the vaccination and sterilisation of community dogs in Delhi as per the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules.
The plea by an organisation, Conference for Human Rights (India) in 2024, challenged the Delhi High Court’s August 2023 order following its Public Interest Litigation (PIL), which had sought directions for the sterilisation and vaccination of community dogs.
The high court had disposed of the PIL without issuing any specific directions, following which the organisation moved the apex court where a bench of Justices Gavai and K V Viswanathan issued notice to the Centre and Delhi Government on July 8, 2024.
On Wednesday, the counsel for the appellant organisation told the CJI-led bench that the respondents were yet to file their counter-affidavit despite being given a last chance to do so as per the order dated May 13, 2025.
Apparently referring to the August 11 order of the bench presided by Justice J B Pardiwala — which directed authorities in Delhi-NCR to relocate stray dogs from streets to shelters — the CJI then said that another bench has already passed an order concerning strays.
The counsel appearing for the appellant pointed out that in May 2024, another bench of the Supreme Court, led by Justice J K Maheshwari, had sent back petitions raising the stray dog issue to high courts saying “there cannot be any indiscriminate killings of canines and the authorities have to take action in terms of the mandate and spirit of the prevalent legislation(s) in place.”
“There is no gainsaying in the fact that exhibiting compassion to all living beings, is the enshrined Constitutional value and mandate, and casts obligation on the authorities to maintain,” the bench had added at the time.
The CJI then said, “I will look into it.”
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Meanwhile, following the August 11 order of the top court, NGOs that have tied up with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) appear to be clueless about its implementation amid a lack of dedicated shelters in the National Capital.
