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Supreme Court Mandates Stray Dog Relocation in Delhi-NCR, Triggers Backlash

Officials face an eight-week contempt deadline to establish dog shelters along with a rapid-response helpline as welfare groups prepare to challenge the order.

Overview

  • Supreme Court directs all civic bodies in Delhi-NCR to remove stray dogs from residential areas and house them in designated shelters within eight weeks under threat of contempt.
  • The bench requires shelters capable of holding 5,000–6,000 dogs with sterilisation, rabies vaccination, CCTV monitoring and a helpline guaranteeing four-hour response times.
  • Justices Pardiwala and Mahadevan branded existing Animal Birth Control rules “absurd” and ordered authorities to ignore return-to-territory protocols in the interest of public safety.
  • Resident Welfare Associations praised the move as necessary after rising dog-bite and rabies cases, including a July incident that killed a six-year-old girl.
  • Animal-welfare groups and rescue NGOs held protests at India Gate and vowed legal challenges, warning of severe infrastructure, funding and ethical hurdles.