Supreme Court Directs Removal Of All Stray Dogs From Delhi-NCR Within 8 Weeks

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday said immediate steps required to counter the menace of dog bites leading to rabies and the situation regarding stray dogs is "extremely grim", while directing that all stray dogs in Delhi and the national capital region (NCR) be rounded up within eight weeks and housed in dedicated dog shelters to be set up by civic authorities.

The apex court directed the Delhi government and civic bodies to start picking up strays from all localities at the earliest and they should be housed in dog shelters, and made it clear that no captured animal will be released back on the streets.

The matter came up for hearing before a bench comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan. Justice Pardiwala said this is time to act, and questioned, can the animal activists or the so called “animal lovers” bring back children who had fallen prey to rabies, caused by dog bites. He stressed, “will they put life back in those children? Let us talk about a practical view on the matter".

"When the situation demands you have to act…", said Justice Pardiwala, while mincing no words in criticising the practice under the animal birth control rules, which mandates release of sterilised dogs back into the same locality.

Justice Pardiwala observed, "We have noticed some unreasonable and absurd rules that you pick one dog, sterilise them, and bring them back to the same place. We fail to understand why you bring them back…".

Justice Pardiwala said, "Forget the rules and face reality. These dogs are to be rounded up and captured immediately by whatever means", and asked how one can make children and senior citizens feel safe?

The bench said it is essential to pick up stray dogs from the vulnerable pockets of the city at the earliest by whatever means, and added, "that is how you will ensure a dog free locality". "That is how you will be able to make children feel safe, while cycling and playing. The aged who come out for walks…", observed Justice Pardiwala, while addressing the amicus curiae senior advocate Gaurav Agarwal.

"Round up all stray dogs from all localities, including localities on the outskirts of Delhi, and shift them to some other place…Whether sterilised or not sterilised, the society must feel free and safe. You should not have any stray dogs roaming around," the bench said.

The top court, while passing a slew of directions to tackle the menace of dog bite incidents, said that no person or organisation comes in the way of picking up stray dogs by the authorities. The apex court ordered contempt proceedings against any individual or organisation that attempts to obstruct the authorities from carrying out the capture drive.

The bench said as of now, the dog shelters will be created to accommodate around 5,000 stray dogs and sufficient personnel should be deployed there to sterilise and immunise the canines, and added that CCTV monitoring will ensure compliance.

The apex court was hearing a petition registered on its own motion on the “alarming and disturbing” rise in stray dog attacks. The apex court directed that authorities in Delhi-NCR must set up a helpline so all dog bite complaints can be registered, with the offending animal picked up “within four hours” of a complaint.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, welcomed the court’s intervention. Mehta and Agarwal suggested that the rule mandating release back into the same area “must go”. The bench was informed that there is no evidence that sterilisation stops dog bites or eliminates the threat of rabies.

When senior advocate Sidharth Luthra sought to intervene, on behalf of his client, the bench said, “all intervention applications are rejected. In the larger interest of people and the grim situation prevailing that has put the safety and lives of children, senior citizens, and everyone else in peril, we will not entertain any intervention application…”.

The bench said the Delhi government, MCD, NDMC, and authorities in Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram will start picking stray dogs from all localities and areas on the outskirts. “How to do it is for them, and if they have to create a force, they should do that. The first step is to make localities free of stray dogs. There cannot be a compromise in this”, said the bench.

The apex court directed authorities to create a helpline so that all complaints of dog bites are immediately registered, and added, “action of picking up dogs must be taken within four hours of a complaint of dog bite being lodged”.

The apex court took suo motu cognisance on July 28 after media reports on the death of six-year-old Chavi Sharma from rabies in Delhi’s Pooth Kalan area. She was bitten on June 30 by a rabid dog and succumbed on July 26 despite treatment.

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