Activists criticise SC order to confine all Delhi strays
NEW DELHI: Animal welfare organisations in Delhi have sharply criticised the recent Supreme Court directive mandating the setting up shelters within eight weeks to detain all stray dogs permanently. The order provides for CCTV monitoring to ensure no dogs are released, and also warns of penal action against anyone obstructing the process. NGOs argue that the plan is logistically unfeasible, risks ecological imbalance, and undermines ongoing sterilisation efforts.
Dr. R.T. Sharma, president of the People for Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), a registered non-profit animal welfare organisation established in 1998, raised concerns over the directive, stressing that stray dogs cannot simply be relocated: “Dogs, unlike cattle, are territorial animals and will fight amongst each other.” He argued that rehoming is unnecessary, advocating instead for public sensitisation and structured sterilisation efforts. “Presently, MCD picks up dogs randomly based on complaints for sterilisation. If done colony-wise, with RWA and public participation, the process would be faster and more effective,” he said.
According to Dr. Sharma, around 20–25 shelters in the capital currently conduct the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme, with the MCD paying them nominal fees. “We perform 200–250 sterilisation surgeries every month, and this has already reduced the stray population,” he said. In his opinion, rabies cases were relatively rare compared to the actual dog population, yet it remained a public health concern. India is not rabies-free, he iterated, urging the government to treat it with the same urgency as polio or COVID-19 - but not by confining dogs in shelters.
Vandana Anchalia, founder of the Kannan Animal Welfare Foundation in Kapashera, Delhi, called the decision “judicial overreach” and warned of severe social and ecological consequences. She rejected claims that all strays carry rabies, noting the disease is fatal within days and far fewer human cases occur than such claims suggest. Anchalia blamed gaps in the Animal Birth Control programme for the rising population and said removing strays would be ineffective, as dogs from nearby areas would quickly move in to feed on waste, reversing any gains within a week.
