Supreme Court directs Delhi-NCR authorities to start removing stray dogs from all localities and permanently relocate them to shelters.
Bench emphasises judiciary’s duty to uphold justice and truth, rather than mirror prevailing public sentiment.
Court urges animal lovers to adopt strays but warns against creating a divide between those who care for animals and others.
Amid the uproar over the order on stray dogs in the Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court has said judiciary bore the sole responsibility to "possess the courage and strength" to remind people of truths which they may not prefer to hear.
In its order on August 11, a copy of which was made available on Wednesday, a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan directed the Delhi-NCR authorities to start picking up stray dogs from all localities "at the earliest" and permanently relocate them to dog shelters.
"The judiciary must not assume or take on the colouration of the prevailing popular sentiments of the time, for its role is not to echo the passions of the moment but to uphold the enduring principles of justice, conscience and equity," the verdict said.
The top court's verdict continued, "As the sentinel on the qui vive, a guardian of rights, the judiciary bears the solemn responsibility to possess the courage and the strength to remind the people of truths that they may not like or prefer not to hear." The bench expressed being conscious of the "genuine love and care" towards stray dogs and urged them to "come forward and become a part of this exercise".
"In light of the concerns of the interveners, we urge all to adopt and give dogs a shelter in their homes. However, we do not ascribe to the virtue signalling of all those who share love and concern for the animals," the order noted.
The court underlined a "virtual divide" being attempted to be created between "animal lovers" and persons indifferent towards animals.
"But the heart of the problem remains unanswered, for all practical reasons," it said.
The bench passed a slew of directions while hearing a suo motu case initiated on July 28 over stray dog bites leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital.
