A day after the Supreme Court ordered the immediate removal of all stray dogs from residential localities in Delhi-NCR, similar judicial interventions from High Courts across the country have come into sharper focus, underscoring a growing legal consensus that human safety must take precedence over animal rights.
The apex court, in its August 11 order, directed civic authorities in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram to pick up all stray dogs, sterilised or unsterilised, and shift them to shelters equipped with trained personnel, sterilisation and vaccination facilities, CCTV surveillance, and helplines for bite cases. The bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan warned that no stray dog should be released back onto the streets, and that any individual or organisation obstructing the exercise would face contempt proceedings. The court also barred adoption of stray dogs to prevent re-release, and told authorities to prioritise rabies vaccine availability.
The Delhi order has triggered strong reactions from dog lovers nationwide, but similar measures have been under consideration, or already in place in multiple states.
The SC order follows a series of state-level judicial interventions.
Kerala High Court (March 2024 & July 2025)
March 2024: Declared “human rights above all” while holding gram panchayats liable for attacks.
July 2025: Formed special committees to address 16 deaths and 100,000+ bites in 6 months.
Justice CS Dias observed, “Stray dog attacks should be considered like wild animal attacks… humans and animals should co-exist, but not at the cost of lives.”
The court accepted the state’s proposal for an interim committee to oversee mitigation measures, but deferred euthanasia of stray dogs under the 2023 Animal Husbandry Rules until further orders. Previous observations by Justice PV Kunhikrishnan in March had also called for licensing individuals who keep stray dogs and warned that public safety must take precedence. The Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has flagged thousands of attacks in recent years, many involving children.
Allahabad High Court (July 2022)
In a suo motu PIL on a fatal dog attack in Lucknow, the bench of Justices Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Rajnish Kumar questioned why the victim’s family should not be awarded ₹10 lakh compensation, holding that municipal negligence appeared to be the cause. The court directed the Nagar Nigam to file affidavits on both compensation and compliance with stray dog safety measures, while seeking legal input from amicus curiae on the basis for such monetary relief.
Rajasthan High Court (August 2025)
A bench of Justices Kuldeep Mathur and Ravi Chirania ordered municipal bodies in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur to immediately remove stray dogs and other animals from roads, permitting criminal action against those obstructing the drive. Authorities were told to ensure minimal harm to animals and to facilitate feeding only at designated shelters. The order extends to state and national highways, where regular patrols have been mandated to keep roads free of stray animals.
Reactions From “Dog Lovers”
Here is a series of reactions from dog lovers who even went to bizzare extents of comparing dogs to rapists.
Atleast dogs don’t r@pe
— Nidhi Chaudhary (@thenidhii) August 11, 2025
Some compared death due to dog bites/rabies to deaths due to mosquitoes.
Some even started online petitions.
Some even went to the extent of preaching to the government to take lessons from other countries.
Some political party leaders have also opined, including Rahul Gandhi.
Some have initiated protests as well.
And some have made it a BJP issue.
The Supreme Court’s latest directive, prompted by rising rabies deaths and over 35,000 reported animal bite incidents in Delhi in just six months, appears to be the most sweeping yet, with blanket bans on adoption and a hard deadline for shifting all stray dogs out of public areas.
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