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Several Bollywood stars have voiced their concerns over the Supreme Court’s directive to capture stray dogs across the nation’s capital and relocate them to shelters. The top court’s order has drawn flak from the Opposition and dog-lovers alike.

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Many in the film industry called the process “inhumane”. A viral Instagram story has been circulating through multiple reposts on the social media application, with Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan jumping on the bandwagon. The story reads, “These aren’t just "stray dogs." They are the ones who wait outside your tea stall for a biscuit. They are the silent night guards for shopkeepers. They are the tails wagging when children return from school. They are the warmth in a cold, uncaring city.”

While the issue around the animals is acknowledged, the community proposed other methods of taming the problem of dog bites. “The real fix? Large-scale sterilization programs, regular vaccination drives, community feeding zones, and adoption campaigns”.

Comedian Vir Das posted a note on Instagram, urging his followers to adopt dogs. “They are extremely healthy, low maintenance, and will provide you with more love affection and gratitude than you could ever imagine,” he penned.

Actor John Abraham penned an open letter to Chief Justice of India, Justice B. R Gavai, urging a review on the order. “I hope you will agree that these are not “strays” but community dogs—respected and loved by many, and very much Delhites in their own right, having lived in the region as neighbours to humans for generations," he wrote.

He further pointed out the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Dog Rules 2023, which require tht dogs go through “methodical sterilisation”, as promoted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 1990, as the “only effective and scientific solution to address the community dog population.”