The Supreme Court (SC) ordered authorities in Delhi-NCR to move all stray dogs to shelters within eight weeks on August 11, 2025, after taking suo motu notice of the rising number of dog bites and rabies cases, particularly involving children. The court also warned of consequences for obstruction and ruled that even sterilised dogs shouldn't be let back on the streets.
Today, Thursday, on August 14, 2025, a newly formed three-judge bench reserved its judgement on pending pleas seeking a stay of that directive, sharply criticising local authorities for inaction, and calling for accountability in managing the stray dog crisis.
What do the statistics say?
According to various sources, the stray dog population in India is estimated at 52.5 million (525 lakhs), and in Delhi alone, it is estimated at 1 million (10 lakhs). In 2024, over 3.7 million dog bite cases were reported, resulting in 54 suspected rabies deaths. However, only a fraction of animals are sterilised or vaccinated.
How practical is the move?
For Himshi Veena Tyagi, influencer and founder of the Instagram page huskyindia0, the order ignores years of grassroots work. “I started caring for dogs since the time Nawab (Tyagi’s pet dog) came into our life,” she said, recalling how she and her husband would leave family events midway to tend to wounded strays. Since COVID-19, they have been feeding dogs daily — the count now standing at 400-500 — while also leading sterilisation and vaccination drives.
Further, Tyagi says the backlash against feeding strays has intensified. “People are killing puppies, poisoning them… Dogs are tortured daily. Why is the system blind to these?” she asked, questioning whether Delhi has the space and resources to house thousands of dogs. She urged the government to expand sterilisation and vaccination instead of “radical” relocation, noting, “If I can do it single-handedly, why can’t others and the government?”
A step in the right direction
Amol Rawat, a student in Delhi, takes a different view, stressing the danger posed by unchecked stray populations. “A lot of people die of rabies,” he said, adding that sterilisation and vaccination cannot be adopted without taking dogs to sheltered homes.
Sharing his own experience, Rawat said he often takes an auto from the metro station at night, which is barely 500 metres from his home, fearing dog attacks. “While it’s easy for people in gated communities to protest, it’s the delivery agents, labourers, and students commuting in the early morning who are more prone to dog bites.”
While he supports relocation, he warned that shelter home infrastructure must be improved to avoid tragedies like the 2021 Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras incident, where 57 ‘sheltered’ dogs died. Rawat also advocates adoption drives for Indian breeds, calling sheltering a “win-win” if done properly.
Rawat’s concerns echo the Kerala High Court’s recent observation that, though animals have legal rights, human rights must trump animal rights.
The dilemma
Vividha Sardana, a resident of Delhi, is sceptical of the entire move. “I’m phobic of dogs,” she admitted but called the decision “a gimmick… to divert attention” from more pressing issues. “The government hasn’t been able to provide shelter to humans, so how can we expect them to provide shelter homes to all the indies?” She pointed to ongoing problems, from dowry deaths and kidnappings to rapes and human trafficking, and said, “When issues like these persist, there is nothing to be optimistic about.”
Confinement, conscience, and everything in between
While everyone is debating about what is ethically right and wrong, here are a few measures worth looking for!
There are scores of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local community programs working to take care of stray dogs, such as BCS Pune, Stray Buddy, Mylos Rescue, The Voice of Stray Dogs, and Bark India. Apart from offering sterilisation and vaccinations, many of them collaborate with the government, run rescue and treatment services, rehab stray animals, and provide public awareness.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is organising an Indie dog puppy adoption drive to encourage people to adore and adopt healthy, vaccinated Indies. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is building a Rs 5.59 crore state-of-the-art kennel, adding modern infrastructure to existing shelters after sterilising over 53,000 dogs in two years. Recently, the Meghalaya High Court had applauded the state's ABC (Animal Birth Control) efforts, like vaccination camps, sterilisation drives, and shelter-building across districts. The country needs more such government-led initiatives to tackle the stray-dog menace.
When the larger debate is whether human rights trump animal rights, what is trumping is the compassion for animals on the one side, and concerns over their safety on the other. As the court prepares its final judgement, questions remain over how it will address the stray dog issue.
