Animal Rights Activists Detained At India Gate Protesting SC Order On Stray Dog Relocation

Delhi Police detained animal rights activists, rescuers, caregivers, and dog lovers protesting in front of India Gate against the Supreme Court order to send all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to shelters within 8 weeks. Delhi-NCR saw protests after the Supreme Court ordered the state administration to make sure that no stray dogs were spotted on the streets. PETA India and other organisations denounced the ruling.

Several demonstrators gathered in front of the India Gate to express disapproval of the Supreme Court's ruling to transfer all stray dogs to shelters established by civic authorities in Delhi-NCR within eight weeks, according to Delhi Police.

Speaking to news agency ANI, a caregiver of dogs while being detained by the Police for protesting in front of the India Gate against the SC order said, "They don't want us to talk... I am being detained because I do the noble work of feeding animals."

Anish Gawande, NCP Spokesperson who organised the protest told Outlook, "Mass removal of Delhi’s street dogs is neither practical nor effective. We don’t have the shelter capacity, and global experience (from Turkey to Romania) shows the population simply bounces back. India’s own laws mandate sterilise, vaccinate, return. This verdict ignores science, precedent, and our legal framework."

He added that the order is like a "death knell" for Delhi strays, "it dismantles communities of care, punishes the animals while letting those who abandon pets go free, and undermines our constitutional duty of compassion. Shelters will become prisons for puppies — overcrowded, under-resourced, and inhumane. It’s the wrong solution to a real problem".

PETA Reacts 

The removal and "jailing" of stray dogs is not scientific, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which also stated that it is not practical to build enough dog shelters.

“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,” said Dr Mini Aravindan, Senior Director of Veterinary Affairs, PETA India, according to The Mint.

“It will also ultimately do nothing to curb the dog population, reduce rabies or prevent dog bite incidents. This is because it is unfeasible to build enough dog shelters, and displacing dogs causes fights over territory and problems like starvation,” she added.

The PETA official added, “Ultimately, dogs make their way back into the same territories, especially when puppies continue to be born. That's why the government has required that community dogs be sterilised since 2001--a procedure which calms them--and during which time they are also vaccinated against rabies."

Supreme Court Ruling 

The Supreme Court declared Monday, during the hearing of a suo moto case against stray dogs biting children on the streets, that the animals must be moved away from residential areas and that any organisation that prevents this practice will be subject to the harshest punishment.

After noting a news item on the increasing number of rabies deaths caused by stray dog attacks, the bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan began hearing the case.  "This is for the benefit of the public, not for ourselves.  Therefore, no feelings of any kind should be expressed.  The quickest possible action should be taken, Justice Pardiwala stated.

Calling the incidents of stray dog bites "extremely grim", the bench passed a slew of directions and warned of strict action against an individual or organisation in case of obstruction, which might also prompt the court to initiate contempt proceedings.