On 22 August 2025, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Vikram Nath, overturned the 11 August 2025 ruling of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan on the contentious issue of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR. The earlier order had directed municipal authorities to immediately begin rounding up stray dogs, set up shelters within eight weeks, and permanently relocate them from streets, colonies, and public spaces.

That ruling, while stern, was grounded in urgent concerns of public safety. However, within days of the decision, nationwide protests from animal rights groups and self-styled dog welfare activists forced a rethink. Responding to the uproar, Chief Justice of India B R Gavai constituted a new bench on 14 August 2025, comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N V  Anjaria. Their ruling, delivered on 22 August 2025, reversed the earlier order, directing that dogs picked up by municipal bodies be vaccinated, sterilised, and returned to their original locations.

Judicial Euphoria or Judicial Bias?

Justice Vikram Nath did not stop at delivering the judgment. Speaking at a Kerala conference on 30 August 2025, focused on human-wildlife conflicts, he described how the case made him widely known in civil society: “So far, I have been known in the legal fraternity for my work. But I am thankful to the stray dog case for making me known across the world. I am thankful to my CJI for allotting me this matter.”

He went further, remarking that not only dog lovers but dogs themselves had blessed him. While some may dismiss these statements as light-hearted, others view them as........

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