Timely intervention, says Goel; Karti highlights ‘underreporting'
Former Union minister Vijay Goel, who has long been championing dog shelters, defined the move as a "timely and much-needed intervention" by the judiciary and said he would present data on the matter. In a press statement on Monday, Goel reiterated his key demands, including amendments to the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, particularly on allowing relocation of biting dogs to a different place or shelter after sterilisation rather than being released in the original location under Rule 11.
A national census of stray canines is also a demand.
Goel's campaign has taken on renewed urgency following two dog attacks in Narela and Pooth Kalan, the latter resulting in the death of a six-year-old girl, who succumbed to rabies. Expressing strong objection to ABC Rule 20, which gives RWAs the responsibility of feeding stray dogs within private societies, appealed for a complete ban on street feeding — with legal consequences for violators.
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"I'm trying to save both people and dogs from mutual hatred. If things continue this way, society will turn hostile towards animals," Goel said, responding to dog lovers who have allegedly threatened him online and branded him the 'enemy of animals'.
Appreciating the move of the apex court, Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram, who is actively pursuing the matter with the central govt, posted on X, "Hope a holistic process is set into motion.
Key asks: Enforce a no-dog-on-street policy, build shelters & house all strays. Vaccinate & neuter them, promote adoption with safety norms, ensure clear, humane & enforceable policy, hear & protect those who feel unsafe and fund authorities to act urgently & responsibly.
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Chidambaram had even met PM Narendra Modi to discuss the problem on March 27. He claimed to have written to SP Singh Baghel, Union minister of state for animal husbandry and dairying, on July 24 regarding the review of ABC Rules and formulation of a national strategy to manage stray dogs.
In his letter, he highlighted the underreporting of dog bite and rabies cases. "Your ministry has reported 3.7 million dog bites and only 54 suspected rabies deaths in 2024 as per National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) data.
However, multiple independent bodies present contradictory evidence. For example, ICMR's national survey estimates 9 million animal bite incidents annually with up to 5,700 rabies deaths," he wrote.
"While WHO maintains that India accounts for nearly 36% of global rabies mortality with 18,000-20,000 deaths annually. Furthermore, the health ministry's Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (2023) reported 286 rabies deaths — a sharp contrast to NCDC's 2024 figure of 54."
The MP said that while ABC Rules might seem progressive in theory, it had "failed structurally and operationally". Chidambaram stated that sterilisation targets were routinely missed, and in most urban areas, they reached only 20-40%, far below the 70%+ required for an impact.
"Municipalities suffer from severe manpower shortages, lack of coordination with NGOs and administrative paralysis. While the estimates suggest 6-10 dog bite incidents per minute, with serious injuries, the right of safety of citizens, especially children and the elderly, is being compromised," he maintained.
Nanita Sharma, Supreme Court lawyer, contended that modifications to ABC Rules would be ineffective without committed sterilisation and immunisation efforts.
"The problem is that govt and agencies are hand in glove and none of the agencies are doing their job diligently," Sharma said. "Had the municipal authorities sterilised and immunised 70% of the strays regularly, then the street dog population would have been contained. Relocation will, in fact, make it difficult to cover all strays. There is a need also to act logically and humanely towards these animals to reduce man-animal conflict.
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