New Delhi: A day after the Supreme Court ordered the permanent relocation of stray dogs from the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) to shelters, actor John Abraham wrote a letter to Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, urging a review and modification of the order.
Monday’s Supreme Court order not only led to public demonstrations by animal rights activists, but objections from all sections of society, including politicians and filmstars. Among those who made their dissatisfaction public were Congress leaders Karti Chidambaram and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
It is a known fact that stray dogs are extremely territorial in nature and can’t survive for long if relocated once they attain adulthood. Moreover, bringing dogs from various neighbourhoods together at a shelter would result in fights, leading to severe injuries and also deaths.
That is the reason why the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, mandates the return of dogs to their places of birth after sterilization and vaccination.
Abraham, known to be a street dog lover, as mentioned in his letter that strays are part of the community and loved by many.
“I hope you will agree that these 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,” Abraham said.
The actor stated that the directive is in conflict with the 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,” he 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.
According to the actor, removing street dogs from public spaces doesn’t 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.
“I respectfully request a review and modification of this judgment in favour of the lawful, humane, and effective ABC approach, which safeguards public health while honouring the constitutional values of compassion and coexistence, a stand the Supreme Court has consistently upheld since 2015.”
On Monday, the supreme court directed all the strays to be removed and put in shelters by the Delhi government and civic bodies of Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad.
The Bench of Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan noted that there was an “extremely grim” situation due to stray dog bites resulting in rabies, particularly among children.
The court has directed Delhi authorities to start with creating shelters for around 5,000 canines within six to eight weeks.
Dog lovers fear that the Supreme Court judgement will have far reaching consequences. A few days ago, after a Kerala High Court order against strays, a panchayat in Munnar allegedly killed and buried 200 dogs. A case has now been registered against the authorities.
Street dog lovers do not comprise only of common citizens. The Late Ratan Tata was a great street dog lover and had opened a shelter for them at Bombay House, the headquarters of the Tata Group. This shelter still exists.
