In what is being described as an extraordinary judicial turn, a Supreme Court case that had seen an order delivered just 48 hours earlier was pulled out from the two-judge bench and reassigned to a three-judge bench.
On August 11, Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan had directed that stray dogs in Delhi and the NCR be shifted to shelters on the city’s outskirts.
But after massive outrage from animal lovers, activists, and civil society, Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai intervened and transferred the matter to a new bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath, with Justices Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria. The new bench has reserved its order on an interim plea to stay the relocation directive.
Emotional Uproar and Candlelight Vigils
The August 11 ruling set off an unprecedented wave of solidarity with street dogs. Across Delhi and several Indian cities, dog lovers, animal rights groups, and ordinary citizens came out in large numbers, holding placards and candles, chanting slogans in support of their “community dogs.”
Vigils were held in parks, streets, and outside iconic landmarks, where hundreds gathered, insisting that removing stray dogs from their territories was both inhumane and counterproductive.
Social media was flooded with images of people hugging strays, feeding them, and tying symbolic ribbons around their necks in protest.
Prominent voices — from animal rights activist and former Union minister Maneka Gandhi to politicians like Rahul Gandhi and Sushmita Dev, actor John Abraham, and comedian Vir Das — joined the chorus of criticism.
The Legal and Ethical Faultlines
The controversy was sharpened by a video recording of the August 11 hearing that went viral. In it, Justice Pardiwala dismissed requests from animal welfare groups to intervene, saying:
“All requests for interventions are rejected.” Legal experts argue this refusal violated the principle of audi alteram partem — the right to be heard — thereby undermining natural justice.
The bench also questioned the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, which mandate that sterilised and vaccinated stray dogs be returned to the same locality.
Justice Pardiwala remarked: “If you pick up a dog to sterilise and then put him back in the same locality, that’s absurd. Why should that stray dog come back to that locality? What’s the idea behind it?”
For animal lovers, these remarks struck at the heart of decades of globally accepted dog population management strategies.
Science vs. Sentiment
The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and the Animal Birth Control Module of 2025 strongly caution against mass relocation.
Studies show that when sterilised dogs are removed, vacant territories attract new, often unvaccinated strays, leading to fierce dog fights, higher bite cases, and increased rabies risk.
The friendlier, sterilised dogs are usually caught first, while aggressive, unsterilised ones remain — creating a more volatile stray population.
The World Health Organization (WHO), too, has repeatedly warned that removal does not reduce dog populations or control rabies. Instead, mass dog vaccination and sterilisation have proven effective worldwide — from Sri Lanka and Nepal to Tunisia and South America.
A Clash of Realities
Even as candle marches light up the cities, critics point out that dog bite incidents are on the rise, making daily life in crowded Indian neighborhoods tense. Parents of bitten children, senior citizens, and pedestrians often argue that compassion for animals must not come at the cost of human safety.
Thus, the battle over Delhi’s strays is no longer just a legal debate. It has become a symbolic clash between two Indias: one that views street dogs as part of the community, deserving care and protection, and another that sees them as a growing urban hazard demanding stricter control.
For now, the dogs wait — in shelters, on streets, and in the hearts of thousands who lit candles for them — as the Supreme Court prepares to deliver its next word on this emotionally charged issue.
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