A humane, evidence-based approach — comprising sterilisation, vaccination, proper waste management, and community engagement — offers a more sustainable path to ensuring public safety while respecting India’s cultural and ethical ties with stray dogs

A massive backlash is in the offing on the Supreme Court of India’s sweeping directive issued on August 11th, 2025, ordering the removal of stray dogs from the streets of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) within eight weeks, mandating their relocation to shelters. The court’s decision, prompted by a suo motu case addressing the rising incidents of dog bites and rabies, particularly affecting children and the elderly, has sparked intense debate.

While the court’s intention to protect public safety is undeniable, the order is a flawed and short-sighted approach that fails to address the root causes of the stray dog issue and risks exacerbating both human-animal conflict and animal suffering. This article analyses the Supreme Court’s decision and proposes humane, science-based solutions to tackle the problem effectively.

The Supreme Court’s directive, issued by Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, mandates civic bodies in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad to capture stray dogs, sterilise and immunise them, and house them in shelters equipped with CCTV surveillance and sufficient staff.

The court emphasised that no stray dogs should be released back onto the streets, warning of strict action, including contempt proceedings, against anyone obstructing the process. The ruling was driven by alarming statistics: Delhi reports nearly 2,000 dog bite incidents daily, with 35,198 cases and 49 rabies cases recorded between January and June 2025. Nationally, India accounts for 36 per cent of global rabies deaths, a crisis that demands urgent action. However, the court’s order to relocate an estimated 60,000 to one million stray dogs in NCR to shelters is logistically impractical and scientifically flawed. Animal welfare organisations, including PETA India and the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO), have criticised the decision as an........

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