Delhi Govt Urges Supreme Court to Address Stray Dog Crisis

New Delhi, Aug 14 (PTI) — On Thursday, the Delhi government emphasized before the Supreme Court the critical need to address the issue of stray dogs, highlighting that rabies resulting from dog bites has led to child fatalities. The urgency was communicated by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Delhi government, who informed a three-judge bench led by Justice Vikram Nath about the alarming statistic of over 3.7 million dog bites reported annually across India. "Nobody is an animal hater," Mehta stated emphatically, while addressing a bench that also included Justices Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing an NGO dedicated to the welfare of dogs, described the situation as "very serious" and called for a detailed discussion on the matter. Sibal also requested a stay on some directives issued by the Supreme Court on August 11, specifically the orders to promptly begin capturing stray dogs in Delhi-NCR and transfer them to dog shelters. The court proceedings on this matter are ongoing.

Previously, on August 11, a two-judge panel of the Supreme Court instructed the authorities to establish dog shelters or pounds immediately and report back within eight weeks on the infrastructure developed. It was mandated that stray dogs should be confined to these shelters and not released back onto streets, colonies, or public spaces. The Supreme Court had issued several directives on August 11 while examining a suo motu case initiated on July 28 concerning stray dog bites, particularly among children, in the national capital.

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