Bollywood bats for stray dogs: John Abraham, Janhvi Kapoor, Varun Dhawan and other celebs react to SC's order

Mint

a day ago

Bollywood celebrities became the latest ones to condemn Supreme Court's order to remove all stray dogs in the Delhi-NCR area to shelters. Celebrities like John Abraham, Raveena Tandon, Janhvi Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Varun Grover and more have strongly reacted to the decision on social media.
John Abraham wrote a letter to Hon'ble Chief Justice of India, Justice B. R Gavai, urging a review of the recent Supreme Court's direction in the matter.
Calling the decision 'inhumane', an excerpt from his letter read, 'It has been widely reported that a recent judgment by the division bench comprising Hon'ble Justice JB Pardiwala and Hon'ble Justice R Mahadevan has directed the removal of all stray dogs in Delhi from public spaces to shelters or far-off areas. I hope you will agree that these are not 'strays' but community dogs—respected and loved by many, and very much Delhiites in their own right, having lived in the region as neighbours to humans for generations.'
Raveena Tandon blamed the local bodies for the increase in the population of stray dogs.
She told HT, 'I feel where the population of indies have increased, it is honestly not these poor dogs to be blamed. It means the vaccination and sterilisation drives aren't done by local bodies."
Janhvi and Varun Dhawan re-shared a note on their Instagram Stories, critising the order. The note mentioned that even though 'there are problems,' but caging an entire community of animals is not a solution.' The note read: "They call it a menace. We call it a heartbeat. Today, the Supreme Court says — take every stray dog off the streets of Delhi-NCR and lock them away. No sunlight. No freedom. No familiar faces they greet every morning."
It also said, "But 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. Yes, there are problems — bites, safety concerns — but caging an entire community of animals is not a solution, it's an erasure. The real fix? Large-scale sterilisation programs, regular vaccination drives, community feeding zones, and adoption campaigns. Not punishment. Not imprisonment. A society that can't protect its voiceless is a society losing its soul. Today it's the dogs. Tomorrow... who will it be?"
Lyricist, writer, and stand-up comedian Varun Grover posted on X, formerly Twitter, "Stray dog problem is real. And it's a problem created by humans who hate dogs not by those who love dogs. Stray dog sterilisation efforts by individuals and NGOs have been constantly blocked by societies by calling them dog-feeders."
He further added, "And now when their own blocking tactics made the problem huge, they are saying the only solution is to transport the dogs to 'shelters' that don't exist in the first place. We all know what that means. Rabies cases are a huge failure of the system and the solution can't be the forced starvation or trauma to the animals. Hope the animal activists and authorities sit together and find humane solutions."
Actor-comedian Vir Das, who adopted stray dogs a few years ago, urged people to come forward and adopt dogs in Delhi-NCR. "If you are a resident of Delhi. Can I persuade you to adopt an indie off the streets, more than one? They are extremely healthy, low maintenance, and will provide you with more love affection and gratitude than you could ever imagine," he shared.
"Am also asking you to wholeheartedly and generously support your nearest animal welfare NGO. I plan on doing so, I hope you will too. As appeals are filed in court and processes take their time, it's important for our humanity to kick in immediately. Please do your part, big or small, it all adds up."
On Monday, the Supreme Court directed all the strays to be removed and put in shelters by the Delhi government and civic bodies of Gurugram, Noida and Ghaziabad area.
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan noted that there was an "extremely grim" situation due to stray dog bites resulting in rabies, especially among children.
The decision has sparked protests by animal activists across Delhi.