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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.

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The Supreme Court's order on Monday to remove all stray dogs from the capital has led to strong objections from several groups. 
Stray dogs
There are two ABC centres in Masoodpur, near Vasant Kunj, within a kilometre of each other. One of them is a clinic and shop run by the Pet Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), a non-governmental, non-profit organisation.

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.