Protests have erupted across Delhi-NCR and online after the Supreme Court ordered the immediate removal of all stray dogs from residential areas, directing civic authorities to house them in shelters. In Delhi, animal rights volunteers gathered at India Gate in protest, many of whom were reportedly detained by authorities. The sweeping judgment has triggered outrage among animal rights groups, citizens, and celebrities, many of whom have called the directive impractical and inhumane. Senior BJP leader and noted animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi has strongly criticised the ruling, calling it “a very strange judgment given by someone who is in anger.”
The apex court’s order, delivered on Monday, August 11, tasked the Delhi government and civic authorities in Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad with creating shelter capacity for at least 5,000 dogs within six to eight weeks.
The court stated that the facilities must be properly staffed to sterilise and vaccinate the dogs, monitored via CCTV to prevent unauthorised releases, and scalable to meet future requirements. Authorities were also asked to set up a helpline to report dog bites, in an effort to curb rabies.
The bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan emphasised that civic bodies can decide how to implement the order and may form a dedicated force to execute it.
“We are not doing this for us, it is for the public interest. So, no sentiments of any nature should be involved. Action should be taken at the earliest,” said Justice Pardiwala during the hearing. The bench further warned that anyone obstructing the process would face contempt of court.
Justice Pardiwala also told amicus curiae Gaurav Agarwala, “Pick up dogs from all localities and shift them to shelters. For the time being, forget the rules.”
The order has provoked strong reactions from across the country, igniting debates around public safety, animal rights, and administrative feasibility.
Nationwide uproar: Public protests, online clashes, and a growing divide
Following the court’s decision, the issue has polarised public opinion both online and on the ground. Protesters described the order as “a death sentence” for stray dogs and voiced concerns over the alleged violations of animal welfare laws.
#WATCH | Police detain animal rights activists, rescuers, caregivers, and dog lovers protesting in front of the India Gate against the Supreme Court order to send all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to shelters within 8 weeks. pic.twitter.com/3xCWA17UNG
— ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2025
The online response has been equally divided. One user wrote, as quoted by NDTV, “Dear stray dog lovers, If you are this upset with the SC decision to take the strays off the road, please take a few into your homes and give the dogs a loving home. Shell out for their vaccinations, training and treatment. Put your money where your mouth is. Feeding stray dogs stale chapatis from your home does NOT make you an animal activist!”
#WATCH | Delhi | "We are not being allowed to protest… We want the dogs to be protected… They have no shelter homes to accommodate so many dogs. In the end, they will throw all the dogs outside Delhi, where they will die," says a caregiver of dogs while being detained by the… https://t.co/iOHSibywmO pic.twitter.com/PlfdMb4Sbr
— ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2025
Another commented, “No one should have to risk the life of their three year old child because someone somewhere is compassionate about stray dogs. It’s that simple.”
VIDEO | Delhi: People stage a protest at India Gate against the Supreme Court’s order to relocate stray dogs to shelters within 8 weeks.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 11, 2025
Activist Pankaj Pandey says, “I respect the Supreme Court, but since the BJP government came to power in Delhi, it has worked against the… pic.twitter.com/1jO1axe7XT
Others, however, highlighted the ethical and emotional dimensions of the issue. “Here’s the fundamental problem with Supreme Court’s verdict on stray dogs: Humanity’s place at the top of the food chain is by sheer luck. We can’t claim superiority, and no guarantee we’ll hold it forever. Yet we use our privilege to justify exterminating other species. The Supreme Court’s order on #straydogs not only lacks empathy but shows an ignorance of basic evolutionary biology,” one user posted.
Another wrote, “If you’ve never loved a stray dog, you’ve missed the purest love there is and that loss is yours alone. This judgment doesn’t just break laws, it breaks compassion. It violates the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, overrides animal welfare laws, and tramples the duties our Constitution asks of us. We owe our strays better.”
Whether the civic bodies can realistically implement the court’s directions within the timeframe remains to be seen. For now, the debate between public safety and compassion continues to rage across households, courts, and city streets alike.
Animal welfare community slams order as ‘unscientific’ and inhumane
PETA India called the Supreme Court’s directive both “unscientific” and “ineffective”, arguing that large-scale displacement would fail to address the underlying issues and instead create new challenges for both communities and the dogs.
Dr Mini Aravindan, Senior Director of Veterinary Affairs at PETA India, said in a statement: “Communities think of neighbourhood dogs as family, and the displacement and jailing of dogs is not scientific and has NEVER worked. Per a population survey conducted in 2022-23, Delhi has around 10 lakh community dogs, with less than half sterilised. Forced removal of some 10 lakh community dogs from Delhi’s streets will cause uproar in communities that care deeply for them and chaos and suffering for the dogs on a large scale. It will also ultimately do nothing to curb the dog population, reduce rabies or prevent dog bite incidents.”
Dr Aravindan further cited the 2001 government mandate for sterilisation and vaccination of community dogs, saying: “Had the Delhi government implemented an effective dog sterilisation programme, there would hardly be any dogs on the road today.”
“Instead of wasting time, effort, and public resources on ineffective and inhumane displacement drives, an effective sterilisation program is still the solution and urgent need. Other important efforts would include a closure of illegal pet shops and breeders that contribute to animal abandonment, and encouraging the public to take in a dog in need from an animal shelter or the street,” she added.
Maneka Gandhi calls it an ‘angry judgment’, warns of financial and social fallout
Senior BJP leader and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi expressed sharp criticism of the ruling, calling it “a very strange judgment given by someone who is in anger”.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Gandhi said, “It is not a doable order… This is a very strange judgment given by someone who is in anger. Angry judgments are never sensible.”
She raised serious concerns over the absence of infrastructure to carry out the order, pointing out, “There is no single government-run shelter in Delhi. In how many shelters would you put 3 lakh dogs? You don’t even have one.”
Gandhi estimated that the plan would require at least INR 15,000 crore to implement, along with 3,000 new shelters and the employment of 1.5 lakh sanitation workers. “To make those shelters, you have to spend at least ₹15 thousand crore. You’ll have to find 3000 places for shelters in places where no one lives. How will you find these many places?” she asked.
She also warned of potential street-level conflict, saying, “Firstly, when they go to get the dogs, there will be fighting in every street because feeders are not going to let the dogs go. Every day, there will be fights. Do we want this destabilisation situation? Other political parties will get into it to attack the BJP.”
Gandhi added that such a move could backfire by inviting more stray dogs from nearby states: “When the dogs from here are displaced, dogs from nearby states will come to Delhi, as there will be more food here. Then, within a week, there will be another 3 lakh dogs in Delhi, and these will not be sterilised. Then will you start another sterilisation programme and spend hundreds of crores again?”
Celebrities speak out: “They call it a menace, we call it a heartbeat”
Bollywood actors and public personalities joined the growing chorus of criticism against the Supreme Court’s order.
Janhvi Kapoor, known for her love for animals, shared a petition on Instagram that read, “They call it a menace. We call it a heartbeat. Today, the Supreme Court says take every stray dog off the streets of Delhi-NCR and lock them away. No sunlight. No freedom. No familiar faces they greet every morning. But these aren’t just stray dogs. They are the ones who wait outside your tea stall for a biscuit. They are the silent night guards for shopkeepers. They are the tails wagging when children return from school. They are the warmth in a cold, uncaring city.”
The petition further stated, “Yes, there are problems – bites, safety concerns – but caging an entire community of animals is not a solution, it’s an erasure. The real fix? Large-scale sterilisation programs, regular vaccination drives, community feeding zones, and adoption campaigns. Not punishment. Not imprisonment. A society that can’t protect its voiceless is a society losing its soul. Today it’s the dogs. Tomorrow… who will it be? Raise your voice. Because they don’t have one.”
Actor Varun Dhawan also shared the petition on his Instagram story, while actress Raveena Tandon pointed to administrative failure.
Speaking to HT City, she said, “I feel where the population of indies have increased, it is honestly not these poor dogs to be blamed. It means the vaccination and sterilisation drives aren’t done by local bodies.”
She added, “If that was a success, or the money and infrastructure was set properly, I don’t think we would have reached this point. Local bodies are responsible for the strays in their communities and sterilisation is the need of the hour.”
