In RE: “CITY HOUNDED BY STRAYS, KIDS PAY PRICE” the Supreme Court has considered the issue of rising stray dog bite cases in Delhi and directed the government to put them in shelter homes. On 28 July, 2025 The Supreme Court took suo moto cognisance of a Times of India Delhi edition report titled “City Hounded By Strays, Kids Pay Price”. A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan recently issued notice to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for transferring all stray dogs in Delhi to shelter homes with the provision of immunisation and sterilization. The directions also apply to Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad.
The Times of India report highlighted alarming statistics of around 20, 000 dog bite cases recorded in India daily, of which 2,000 incidents occur in Delhi alone. This has caused a massive spread of rabies among infants, children and elderly. The report mentioned two cases wherein a six year old sustained deep wounds from multiple dog bites despite repeated complaints by residents being ignored. A four-year-old was attacked by a pack of stray dogs in July in Alipur, Narela, before being rescued by bystanders, sparking fear among parents.
The Court has found the presence of stray dogs and the threat of rabies a concerning issue that however should not undermine the need to responsibly ensure their care and upkeep in dog shelters or pounds, by volunteering valuable time and resources to support their proper functioning and assist the concerned authorities. Authorities are directed to create dog shelters for approximately 5,000 dogs within 6–8 weeks. The stray dogs are to be sterilised in keeping with 2023 rules. However, the captured dogs are not to be released back into public spaces and rather be housed in the shelters.
Animal activists, celebrities as well as some political leaders have spoken out against the order, calling it unworkable due to infrastructural deficiencies in Delhi and other cities in the NCR. Maneka Gandhi, former Union minister, has criticized the order for being unmindful of regional ecological balance. She has raised concerns that such a move could potentially put the state through the 1880s Paris situation wherein the removal of stray dogs and cats led to a severe rat infestation.
Acknowledging the Delhi government’s steps towards a rehabilitation scheme for dogs, the Court emphasized that the state and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi must ensure the safety of “young children and aged citizens at any cost.”The Chief Justice has referred the matter to a three-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria for hearing on 14 August 2025. This could set a national precedent in the application of law with regards to stray animals and their rights in India.
