Time For Decisive Action: Supreme Court's Historic Order On Stray Dogs | Full Text

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the relocation of all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to shelters, citing a grim situation and systematic failure of authorities to address the issue over the past two decades. The Delhi government, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) to pick and relocate stray dogs from all localities in Delhi. The court's order pressed on the need for urgent action to protect public safety, particularly for vulnerable groups such as visually impaired persons, young children, and the elderly.

A Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan gave a clear order asking all localities to be made free of stray dogs, and there should not be any compromise. The SC's decision was driven by the alarming rise in dog bite incidents and rabies cases in the national capital. The court noted that the streets should not be vulnerable places, and it's the judiciary's responsibility to uphold the principles of justice, conscience, and equity.

The bench also warned that any individual or organisation hindering the relocation drive will face strict action, including contempt proceedings.

The top court’s order has been welcomed by many as a long-overdue measure to address public safety, but several others have raised concerns about the feasibility and humanity of the decision. The animal rights activists argued that the mass removal of stray dogs will not solve the problem and may even lead to unintended consequences, such as the vacuum effect, where new, unvaccinated dogs may move into the area.

Amidst protests over the decision, the Chief Justice of India (CJI), BR Gavai, has promised to review the order, following concern and criticism from animal welfare advocates. 

Here's the full Supreme Court Order on Stray Dogs

Here are ten quotes from the Supreme Court order:

1. The exercise that we propose to undertake is not to be performed in a casual manner. The burning issue that we have embarked upon is not driven by a momentary impulse.
2. It is only after the deepest of deliberations, and having reached the firm conclusion about the systematic failure of the concerned authorities over the past two decades to address an issue that strikes at the heart of public safety, that we have decided to take the matter in our hands.
3. Now is not the time for any resistance or hesitation born of complacency. It is a time for decisive and collective action…
4. If we fail to act with urgency, we risk allowing yet another two decades to slip into the ledger of neglect, leaving future generations to inherit the same problems and the same dangers.
5. Streets should not prove to be vulnerable places.
6. We are at pains to take cognizance of the experiences of visually impaired persons, young children, elderly persons, people from humble background who are not able to afford even a day's meal, let alone the medical expenses.
7. The visually impaired persons are at the highest risk of dog bites as their primary support, their canes, are seen as threats by the dogs.
8. Young children are susceptible to dog bites due to which parents find it very difficult to allow their children to navigate on streets on their own.
9. In no circumstances should these stray dogs, after their relocation, be once again released back onto the streets.
10. 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.