New Delhi: Chief Justice of India B R Gavai has assured to look into Monday’s Supreme Court order banning stray dogs on the streets of Delhi-NCR. People from across the society spoke out against this order by the Supreme Court, with many of them organising peaceful protests.
Film actor John Abraham also wrote to CJI Gavai, seeking a review and modification of the order that has directed authorities to relocate strays permanently from the streets of Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) to specially-built shelters.
The issue was raised before the Chief Justice on Wednesday morning and he was apprised of a previous court order that barred the relocation and killing of stray dogs and mandated following of existing laws and rules for stray dogs.
“I will look into this,” CJI Gavai said.
Abraham, in his letter, has stated that the animals referred to are not ‘strays’, but community dogs – respected and loved by many, and very much Delhiites in their own right, having lived in the region as neighbours to humans for generations.
He had referred to the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, and the apex court’s past judgements on the issue which have consistently “upheld a methodical sterilisation programme”.
“The ABC Rules prohibit the displacement of dogs, instead mandating their sterilisation, vaccination, and return to the very areas they inhabit. Where the ABC programme is implemented earnestly, it works,” Abraham said, giving the example of cities like Jaipur and Lucknow.
“Delhi can achieve the same. During sterilisation, dogs are vaccinated against rabies, and sterilisation results in calmer animals, fewer fights and bites, as they have no puppies to protect. Because community dogs are territorial, they also deter unsterilised, unvaccinated dogs from entering their areas,” he added.
Abraham had stated that removing street dogs from public spaces does not guarantee a solution to the issue.
“Delhi has an estimated 10 lakh dogs. It is neither practical nor humane to shelter or relocate them all, and removal only opens the door for unfamiliar, unsterilised, and unvaccinated dogs to move in — leading to greater competition, territorial disputes, and public health risks,” he noted.
Animal experts have said that street dogs are extremely territorial and wouldn’t survive in shelters for long. Sterilization and vaccination is the only solution to reduce conflicts with humans, they said.
