Stray dog menace ‘not a debate’ says Delhi in SC, urges immediate action

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Thursday told the Supreme Court that the growing stray dog crisis in Delhi-NCR demanded urgent resolution, warning that children’s lives were being lost to rabies following dog bites. Presenting bite data to support its case, the government insisted the matter should not turn into a prolonged legal tussle.

Appearing for the government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta cited, “This is a problem to be solved, not argued over in court. Families are scared to send their children out to play,” he said, adding that sterilisation had not prevented rabies nor had vaccination stopped severe attacks on children and adults.

He further argued that while a “vocal minority” opposed the removal of strays, the “silent majority” was enduring the consequences. He criticised “self-proclaimed animal lovers” and stressed that sterilisation alone did not halt rabies, while vaccination could not prevent maulings.

Mehta told the court that over 37 lakh dog bites were reported across India in 2024, with WHO data indicating 305 rabies deaths that year, a figure likely under-reported.

A bench led by Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria heard petitions challenging the apex court’s August 11 directions, which had ordered authorities to pick up all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR within eight weeks and house them in shelters. On Thursday, the court asked Delhi-NCR authorities to start by building facilities for 5,000 dogs. The bench, however, noted that the “entire problem” stemmed from long-standing inaction by local bodies.

Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing NGOs, pushed back, warning that mass removal would inevitably lead to culling. Singhvi cited parliamentary data showing zero rabies deaths in Delhi between 2022 and 2025, accusing the government of creating “an exaggerated sense of public horror” instead of relying on its own figures.

The criticism was not limited to the courtroom. NCP spokesperson Anish Gawande, in a social media post, directly blamed Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, stating, “The sole blame for all this lies on Delhi CM Rekha Gupta. This was her plan. This was her pet project. She must take responsibility. Either she publicly opposes this decision and says it is unworkable - or she resigns. The MCD is working on her orders.”

Animal rights veteran Maneka Gandhi warned the plan was financially and logistically unworkable, estimating a Rs.15,000 crore cost, the need for 3,000 sites, and 1.5 lakh sanitation staff. Activist Ritika Deshmukh echoed these concerns, calling the order “unrealistic, cruel, and against ABC Rules,” and pointing out that “Delhi had failed to run effective sterilisation drives in over two decades.”

Data underscores the scale of the problem. Delhi has an estimated stray dog population close to one million, but only 20 Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres, with capacity for 3,500–4,000 dogs

at any time.

The last full census was in 2009, leaving current estimates uncertain. Experts warn that permanent housing would require vast land, proper segregation by territory, and significant infrastructure, without which overcrowding, disease, and fatalities would rise.

The Supreme Court has reserved its order on petitions seeking a stay, leaving the city divided between demands for public safety and calls for humane, lawful management of its stray dog population.