SC orders elimination of all stray canines from Delhi-NCR

A bench of justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, listening to a petition registered by itself movement on the “alarming and disturbing” rise in stray canine assaults, additionally ordered contempt proceedings in opposition to any particular person or organisation that makes an attempt to hinder the authorities from finishing up the seize drive. It additional directed that authorities in Delhi-NCR should arrange a helpline so all canine chunk complaints might be registered, with the offending animal picked up “inside 4 hours” of a criticism.

“Spherical up all stray canines from all localities, together with localities on the outskirts of Delhi, and shift them to another place…Whether or not sterilised or not sterilised, the society should be happy and protected. You should have no stray canine roaming round,” the bench informed Delhi authorities, the Municipal Company of Delhi (MCD), the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and authorities in Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram .

It wasn’t instantly clear how these our bodies would go about implementing an order that, based on many consultants, has been caused by their very own ineptness in coping with stray or neighborhood canines. Presently, Delhi has a capability to housearound 4,000 canines in shelters, and the inhabitants of stray canines within the Union territory is estimated at about 1,000,000. And even the court docket’s order to create shelters for five,000 canines will find yourself barely scratching the floor. MCD will now have to determine the area to deal with these canines, and muster the funds to feed and take care of them.

Activists criticised the order and mentioned it will be tough to implement. They identified that they, and others like them, had stepped in to take care of neighborhood canines due to the failure of presidency companies, and mentioned the order may ultimately see neighborhood canines being culled.

Gauri Maulekhi, an activist and trustee on the Individuals for Animals (PFA) known as the judgment “unscientific, merciless and harmful.”

“The court docket has ignored Animal Beginning Management guidelines and dismissed inputs from intervening events. The Supreme Court docket is overruling the codified regulation with out listening to the opposite facet. This order might be challenged. The prevailing shelters are run solely by NGOs and personal our bodies. The court docket didn’t even think about the results of the sudden elimination of stray canines,” she mentioned.

Estimates of deaths from rabies in India range extensively. The Indian Council of Medical Analysis (ICMR) places it at round 5,700 a yr. The Nationwide Rabies Management Programme (which comes below the well being ministry) at 20,000, however different sources counsel far fewer numbers. Based on knowledge offered by the ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairy in Parliament on April 1, between 2022 and 2025, Delhi reported no deaths on account of rabies. In 2024, based on the ministry, India recorded solely 54 deaths on account of rabies; and in 2025 (until April), this quantity was 1.

To make certain, not all deaths from rabies are attributable to canine bites; monkey bites trigger some.

The court docket additionally criticised the prevailing apply below the Animal Beginning Management (ABC) Guidelines that mandates the discharge of sterilised canines again into the identical locality. “We now have observed some unreasonable and absurd rule that you simply choose one canine, sterilise them and convey them again to the identical place. We fail to know why you carry them again,” the bench remarked.

Certainly, the court docket’s ruling goes in opposition to established insurance policies.

The court docket additional remarked: “Neglect the principles and face actuality. These canines are to be rounded up and captured instantly by no matter means. That’s how one can make kids and senior residents really feel protected.”

The court docket was listening to Solicitor Basic Tushar Mehta, who welcomed the court docket’s intervention, and senior advocate Gaurav Agrawal, appointed amicus curiae to help the bench, who steered that the ABC rule mandating launch again into the identical space “should go” since “there isn’t a proof that sterilisation stops canine bites or eliminates the specter of rabies.”

When senior advocate Sidharth Luthra sought to intervene on behalf of animal rights activist Gauri Maulekhi, the court docket refused. “All intervention functions are rejected. Within the bigger curiosity of individuals and the grim state of affairs prevailing that has put the protection and lives of youngsters, senior residents and everybody else in peril, we is not going to entertain any intervention utility.”

It harassed that its motion was not motivated by public sentiment however by pressing security considerations: “No sentiments of any nature ought to affect this matter. The actions must be taken on the earliest… Will animal rights activists be capable to carry again the lives misplaced? The kids who’ve fallen prey to canine bites? It’s now the time to behave and save them.”

In an in depth order, the bench issued a sequence of binding instructions to authorities in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram. “The Delhi authorities, MCD, NDMC and authorities in Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram will begin selecting stray canines from all localities, notably susceptible localities, and areas within the outskirts. do it’s for them, and in the event that they must create a pressure, they need to do this. Step one has to make localities freed from stray canines. There can’t be compromise on this,” acknowledged the bench.

It added that the authorities are directed to create canine shelters inside eight weeks for five,000 canines. “These shelters will need to have personnel to sterilise and immunise the animals and “take care of these canines who is not going to be launched again.” CCTV monitoring will guarantee compliance, mentioned the bench, emphasising that no canine ought to be launched again on the street or public areas.

“We direct the authorities to create a helpline so that each one complaints of canine bites are instantly registered. Motion of selecting up canines have to be taken inside 4 hours of a criticism of canine chunk being lodged. Any act of making obstacle shall be considered as contempt of this court docket. Such canines shall not be launched below any circumstances. They shall be sterilised and immunised as per the relevant guidelines,” directed the bench.

It additionally ordered that the Delhi authorities will publicise the supply and placement of genuine rabies vaccines, noting the priority expressed by Agrawal relating to present scarcity.

The bench reiterated that any hindrance or obstruction attributable to people or organisations might be handled as contempt, warning: “We’re doing this in bigger public curiosity. Infants and youngsters should not fall prey to canine bites and rabies…Actions ought to encourage within the minds of younger and outdated alike that they will transfer freely with out the concern of canine bites.”

The instructions comply with the court docket’s suo motu cognisance on July 28 following the demise of six-year-old Chavi Sharma, who, based on some media stories, died from rabies in Delhi’s Pooth Kalan space. She was bitten on June 30 by a canine and succumbed on July 26 regardless of therapy.

On that day, the court docket known as the state of affairs “extraordinarily troubling” and famous “stories of lots of of canine chunk incidents” in each city and peripheral areas. The court docket had then directed that the matter be registered as a suo motu writ petition, setting the stage for Monday’s sweeping orders.

The matter might be heard once more after six weeks for a compliance report.