Supreme Court Directs Delhi-NCR Authorities to Relocate Stray Dogs to Shelters Amid Rising Rabies Cases

PTI, NEW DELHI, AUG 11, 2025 :  Noting an "extremely grim" situation due to stray dog bites resulting in rabies, particularly among children, the Supreme Court on Monday directed Delhi-NCR authorities to permanently relocate all strays from streets to shelters "at the earliest."

Saying dog shelters will have to be augmented over time, the apex court directed Delhi authorities to start with creating shelters for around 5,000 canines within six to eight weeks. A bench of Justices J. B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan passed a slew of directions and warned of strict action against any individual or organization in case of obstruction, which might also prompt the court to initiate contempt proceedings.

"If any individual or any organization comes in the way of such force picking up stray dogs and rounding them up, and if it is reported to us, we shall proceed to take strict action against any such resistance which may be offered," the bench said.

The bench further remarked, "If the animal activists and 'so-called lovers' would be able to bring back children who fell prey to rabies, will they put life back to those children? When the situation demands, you have to act," it said.

The Supreme Court was hearing a suo-motu case initiated on July 28 over stray dog bites leading to rabies in the national capital. The court directed that all the strays be removed and placed in shelters by the Delhi government and the civic bodies of Gurugram, Noida, and Ghaziabad. It ordered that dog shelters be adequately staffed to sterilize and immunize the dogs, as well as to look after them. The shelters would be under CCTV surveillance to ensure the dogs remain in the facility.

Calling it a "progressive exercise," the top court suggested augmenting the number of dog shelters in the future. It said that authorities "shall at the earliest start picking up stray dogs from all localities, more particularly the vulnerable localities of the city as well as areas on the outskirts."

The bench went on: "How to do it is for the authorities to look into. For this, if they have to create a force, they shall do it at the earliest." The bench underlined that making the city and its outskirts free of strays was the "first and foremost" exercise.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, in the meantime, requested the bench to direct the appropriate authorities of Noida, Gurugram, and Ghaziabad to comply with the court's directions. The bench agreed to the suggestion and emphasized that there should be no compromise in undertaking the exercise.