With the aim to reach a concrete solution for the ongoing problem of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday instructed the civic and concerned authorities to remove the canine from the streets and keep them confined in shelter homes.
On Tuesday, Rajasthan followed suit, issuing the order of removal in a suo motu plea, taking cognisance of dog bite incidents and the deaths caused due to stray animals. The court emphasised that any group or individual obstructing the municipal authorities from removing stray animals from streets, neighborhoods, or public areas will be subjected to legal action. Municipal authorities and staff have been granted a free hand in this matter and they will be filing First Information Reports (FIRs) against individuals who prevent public servants from carrying out their duties.
Many animal welfare organisations have joined hands to protest against the apex court’s judgement. Communities and individuals have questioned the legitimacy of such a judgement which will inevitably harm the lives of thousands of innocents.
Various states have applied measures like a sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination model without the need of confining animals.
Mumbai has recorded 90,700 stray dogs in 2025 and enforced a sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination model in partnership with NGOs. Lucknow has a different picture. Officials receive free helpline calls for dog-related incidents roughly once every two hours. Every four minutes, a bite incident takes place in Lucknow.
Jaipur has attempted to reduce the frequency of bite-related incidents by sterilising around 30 dogs a day.
Kochi has been running an Animal Birth Control (ABC) center which releases sterilised dogs within 48 hours and holds aggressive dogs for a period of 72 hours. Furthermore, the city has developed a framework with the aim to sterilise 2,000 dogs a month.
In Bengaluru, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) works with Animal Welfare Organisations (AWOs) to pick up stray dogs for sterilisation to control their population. Stray dog population is controlled by BBMP with the sterilisation of stray dogs by implementing ABC-ARV Programme as per the Animal Birth Control (Dog) Rules 2001.
Yet, the Supreme Court decision stems from a history of innocents being attacked by packs of strays. Be it an eight-year-old girl, a four-year-old boy or a retired doctor, such attacks paint a different outlook.
There is a need for humane yet practical decisions on the part of the Animal Welfare Board as well as the stakeholders in this matter. The WHO guidelines call for strict enforcement on pet ownership laws, vaccination and sterilisation of pets, spaying and neutering of stray dogs to control their population, and relocating them to dog sanctuaries. Additionally, dedicated dog control units should be established to respond to complaints and emergencies.