The order, which was handed down on Monday, directs authorities in Delhi to relocate all stray dogs from the streets of residential areas to dedicated shelters within two months. The court said the order came in response to an increase in dog bites and rabies cases.
"Infants and young children, at any cost, should not fall prey to rabies. The action should inspire confidence that they can move freely without fear of being bitten by stray dogs," the order said.
Based on various surveys coming from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and animal rights activists, the estimated stray dog population in Delhi is cited as being between 800,000 to 1 million.
While some residents of the Indian capital view these dogs as a menace, others see the animals as companions and part of the urban ecosystem.
Dog lovers and activists say municipalities are not prepared to safely remove and shelter the massive number of strays estimated to roam Delhi's streets.
"The court order is illogical, impractical, inhuman, and illegal. That is like rounding up your next-door neighbor. These dogs have lived here for generations. They are Delhiites, through and through, simply trying to survive like the rest of us," Shaurya Agrawal from animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) told DW.
Too many dogs, too few shelters
Animal rights activists argue that the Supreme Court order contravenes so-called animal birth control (ABC) rules calling for the sterilization, vaccination, and return of dogs to their territories as a humane and scientifically proven method of population control.
Data tabled in India's parliament showed more than 3.7 million cases of dog bites and 54 suspected human deaths from rabies reported in 2024 across the country of 1.4 billion people. Figures from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare show around 2.75 million dog bite cases in 2023.
More than 26,000 dog bite cases have been reported in Delhi so far this year, according to official municipal data used as a basis for the recent judicial action.
Critics of the removal order argue that it is logistically improbable for authorities to set up shelters and resources on a scale envisaged by the top court. Delhi's municipality operates just 20 animal control centers, with a combined capacity for less than 5,000 dogs.
"Catching, feeding, and caring for tens of thousands of dogs daily would require huge annual funding for thousands of animal catchers, ambulances, veterinary doctors, and large teams for daily maintenance, all of which Delhi currently lacks," Anjali Gopalan, who runs All Creatures Great and Small, an animal rights NGO, told DW.
"The only way to deal with the stray dog population is to stabilize it by sterilization and vaccination. Bites and rabies will go up if dogs that are sterilized and vaccinated are moved outside their territory as unvaccinated dogs will move in. There are consequences to public health," Gopalan told DW.
Is there a better solution?
Bharati Ramachandran, CEO of the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO), who has been critical of the court order, said the mass sheltering of healthy, vaccinated dogs is "impractical and inhumane."
"The court order runs contrary to global public health guidance. In addition, ABC rules require that sterilized and vaccinated community dogs be returned to their original territories after treatment," Ramachandran told DW.
"We are still studying the order and see how we can chalk out a future course of action," she said.
Activists say removing sterilized dogs from an area could allow unsterilized dogs to move in, causing a "vacuum effect."
"Rodents tend to increase when dogs are removed because dogs help control their populations. Hence, proper waste and garbage management is critical to reducing food availability for both stray dogs and rodents, further managing the risks associated with these animal populations," added NGO head Gopalan.
In Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan state, animal rescue groups have been running an ABC program for a decade, which has reportedly seen the roaming dog population halved. The proportion of puppies dropped from 19% to just 2% of the total number of dogs.
The state of Goa has achieved around 70% vaccination coverage of its dog population as part of its mass canine immunization program to control rabies.
This success has been aided significantly using an app-based tracking system that enables spatial direction of vaccination teams and real-time monitoring of vaccination rates.
Similarly, a city-wide census in Bengaluru showed stray dog numbers decreased by nearly 10%.
"The formula is simple — sterilize and vaccinate dogs as per the law. Close illegal pet shops and breeders and encourage adoption from shelters and the streets. This is a practical public-health policy that works," said Agrawal from PETA.
Ayesha Christina Benn of Neighbourhood Woof, an NGO for dog welfare, pointed out that Delhi's dog control order may end up doing more harm than good.
"Scientifically speaking,... this order can be catastrophic because it will reduce rates of sterilization as this exercise is being done in a kneejerk fashion, and actual sterilization centers [are] being used to board dogs," she told DW.
"We are simply not equipped for long term care. More public participation to ensure effective street dog management is needed," Benn added.
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