Expressing serious concerns about the menace of dog bites and rabies, the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday ordered that all stray dogs in Delhi NCR must be shifted away from residential localities to shelters “at the earliest”. The SC has directed the Government of Delhi, civic bodies, and authorities of Noida, Gurgaon, and Ghaziabad to shift the stray dogs to dedicated shelters within eight weeks.
A bench comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan which took suo motu cognisance of a media report about incidents of dog bites leading to rabies, also directed that stray dogs which have been picked up and moved to shelters should not be released back into the streets. The bench said that all localities should be made free of stray dogs and there should not be any compromise.
“NCT Delhi, MCD, NMDC shall at earlier start picking up stray dogs from all localities from more particularly vulnerable localities. How to do it is for the authorities to look into and if they have to create a force, do it at earliest,” the Bench said.
Terming the situation “extremely grim”, the bench warned that any individual or organisation obstructing the collection of stray dogs would be held in contempt of court. “If any individual or any organisation 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 passed a slew of directions and warned of strict action against an individual or organisation in case of obstruction, which might also prompt the court to initiate contempt proceedings. 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 situation demands, you have to act,” it said.
The case will be heard again after six weeks. Dog bite cases across the country have risen by nearly 70 per cent between 2022 and 2024. In 2024, a total of 3.7 million dog bites and 54 suspected human deaths due to rabies were reported, according to the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
During the hearing, the court also questioned the practice of returning dogs to their locality after sterilisation, calling it “absurd” and without logic.
It ordered dog shelters to have sufficient personnel to sterilise and immunise the dogs aside from looking after them. The centres would be under CCTV surveillance to ensure the dog remains in the facility.
Calling it a “progressive exercise”, the top court suggested augmenting the number of dog shelters in future. It said the 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 making the city and outskirts free of strays was the “first and foremost” exercise .
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, in the meantime, requested the bench to direct appropriate authorities of Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad to comply with the court’s directions. The bench agreed to the suggestion and said there should not be any compromise in undertaking the exercise.
The bench said it was issuing the directions only keeping the “larger public interest” in mind. “Infants and young children should not at any cost fall prey to such dog bites leading to rabies. The action should inspire confidence in the mind of people, young and old, that they can move around freely on roads without any fear of being bitten by a stray dog,” it said, suggesting against any sentiments in the exercise.
The bench directed the authorities to maintain a record of daily stray dogs captured and housed in shelters. The record was directed to be produced before the next court hearing. “However, what is important and without this perhaps the entire exercise which we have undertaken may go futile, is that not a single dog picked up from any part of the locality shall be released back on the streets/public spaces,” the bench said, cautioning against any such occurrence.
Authorities were further directed to create a helpline within a week for immediate reporting of dog bite instances. “Action must be taken to round up/pick up/catch the dog within four hours from the complaint being received,” it said. The authorities were directed to inform the victims of the medical facilities for quick assistance.
“Availability of rabies vaccines is a major concern, especially genuine vaccines. The authorities concerned, more particularly the government of NCT of Delhi, is directed to put detailed information about the places where such vaccines are available, the stock of vaccines and the number of persons who report for treatment on monthly basis,” the bench said. The bench said the directions have to be complied with and implemented scrupulously.
While posting the matter for hearing after six weeks, the bench asked the authorities to file status report.