Stray dogs issue needs to be resolved, not contested: Delhi Govt to SC

Time of India

2 days ago

The
Delhi government
on Thursday informed the
Supreme Court
that issue of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR needed a resolution and need not be contested for children were dying of rabies due to
dog bites
.
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While the Delhi government referred to data of dog bites to buttress its arguments, those seeking a stay on the apex court's August 11 order said the government should not try to create a "horror situation" that people were dying from rabies.
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan then asked authorities in Delhi-NCR to start relocating all stray dogs from streets to shelters. The authorities were asked to initially start by creating a shelter to house 5,000 dogs.
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The matter came up for hearing on Thursday before a three-judge bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria.
The bench reserved its order on the interim prayer for a stay on some of the directions of August 11 and said the "whole problem" relating to stray dogs was a result of "inaction" on the part of local authorities.
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Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Delhi government, said every country had a very vocal minority and a silent suffering majority.
"There is a vocal minority. I have seen videos, interviews. People eating meat, chicken, etc., and now posing as animal lovers and objecting to this," he said.
Mehta added, "It is an issue to be resolved, not a matter to be contested. Children are dying."
He said sterilisation of dogs did not stop rabies and immunisation did not stop mutiliation of children and adults.
Referring to data, he said in 2024 alone, the country reported over 37 lakh dog bite cases.
Mehta also referred to a media report and said the
World Health Organisation
(WHO) using government and other authentic sources reported 305 death in a year.
"Ultimately, the solution is not in the rules (Animal Birth Control Rules). Your lordships will have to intervene," Mehta said.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal was representing an NGO seeking a stay on some of the August 11 directions when he said, "They (authorities) are going and picking up dogs. Where will they go? They will be culled and that is what is going to happen."
Sibal questioned authorities over non sterilisation of stray dogs.
"What has the municipal corporation done for so many years? Have they built shelter homes? Have they sterilised? What happens is, they have got money for sterilisation but as your lordships know, money itself get siphoned," he said.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi referred to data given in Parliament and said there were zero
rabies deaths
in Delhi from 2022 to 2025.
"But to try and create a horror situation that people left, right and centre are dying from rabies, atleast the government should look at its own figures by its own minister on the floor of the House a few weeks ago," Singhvi said.
One of the advocates said everybody was "making a noise" for the protection of dogs and asked, "What about human beings?"
Another advocate seeking a stay on the August 11 directions said this was a "complex issue" and people from NGOs were unable to place the relevant materials before the order was passed.
On August 11, a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan in a suo motu case asked authorities in Delhi-NCR to immediately create dog shelters or pounds and report to it about the creation of such infrastructure within eight weeks.
It had barred release of strays from shelters.