India’s Supreme Court has ordered that all stray dogs in the Delhi region be removed from the streets and placed in permanent shelters within weeks, citing a surge in attacks and the country’s heavy rabies toll. Estimates put the capital’s free-ranging dog population between 800,000 and one million.

The court’s mandate applies to all dogs, sterilised or not, and warns that anyone obstructing the removals could face charges, The Guardian reports.

The decision has ignited a national debate, pitting public safety concerns against animal welfare principles. Critics say the mass displacement of community dogs is not only logistically impossible but also at odds with India’s existing laws.

The Supreme Court has ordered Delhi’s stray dogs removed from the streets.

Legal Framework vs. Court Directive

Under the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, last updated in 2023, community dogs must be humanely caught, sterilised, vaccinated, and returned to their original territories. This approach aims to stabilise populations and control rabies without resorting to mass euthanasia. According to Deccan Herald, removing sterilised dogs disrupts vaccination coverage and often triggers the “vacuum effect,” where unsterilised newcomers move in and breed.

Lawyers and animal rights groups have argued in court that the Supreme Court’s order contradicts this framework. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal told NDTV there are no facilities capable of housing such numbers, warning of overcrowding, disease spread, and aggression among confined animals.

The order applies to all dogs, sterilised or unsterilised.

Public Health Pressures

India accounts for 36% of global rabies deaths, with an estimated 20,000 fatalities each year, many in children under 15. New Delhi alone has recorded tens of thousands of bite incidents in just six months, according to municipal data cited by The New York Times.

Families of bite victims support aggressive measures, but public health experts caution that sheltering dogs en masse does not eliminate rabies risk if the incoming population is unvaccinated. In fact, as the Deccan Herald reports, sustained sterilisation and vaccination campaigns in Jaipur, Lucknow, and Sikkim have shown that the World Health Organization’s 70% coverage benchmark can dramatically reduce or even eliminate human rabies cases.

Delhi’s street dog population is estimated at up to one million.

Humane and Practical Paths Forward

Animal welfare advocates insist that the solution lies in scaling up the Animal Birth Control programme, shutting down illegal breeders, and promoting adoption. The ABC model, if implemented comprehensively, prevents new litters, reduces aggression, and maintains stable, vaccinated populations that deter unsterilised strays from moving in.

Some experts, however, point to gaps in the ABC rules. As The Better India notes, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act allows for euthanasia in cases of incurable illness or dangerous behaviour, and calls for shelters to protect homeless animals. But poor shelter conditions and lack of resources mean healthy dogs sent there often face disease, neglect, or death.

Activists like Vasundhara Anand argue that well-fed, neutered community dogs are less aggressive and more accepted by residents. She urges small businesses and localities to adopt dogs, creating community guardians rather than adversaries. Disease ecologists stress responsible pet ownership — vaccinating, sterilising, and preventing pets from roaming — to stop adding to street populations.

India accounts for 36 percent of global rabies deaths.

Infrastructure and Enforcement Gaps

Shelter capacity remains the biggest obstacle to mass removal. Even if Delhi attempted to comply, it would need to expand facilities by nearly 1,000 times, according to Deccan Herald. Existing shelters are often overcrowded and ill-equipped. Without strict standards, funding, and oversight, the move risks creating large-scale suffering in the name of safety.

Municipal bodies also struggle to enforce pet licensing, regulate feeding in public spaces, and close unlicensed breeding operations. Experts say these measures, combined with sustained ABC campaigns and public education, are more feasible long-term solutions than trying to warehouse hundreds of thousands of animals.

A National Crossroads

The stray dog issue in India is not simply about animal welfare or public safety — it is about finding a balance that upholds both. Removing every dog from the streets in a matter of weeks is not realistic, and without systemic changes, the problem will resurface.

Proven models already exist within India’s borders. Scaling them up, funding municipal enforcement, improving shelter conditions, and fostering a culture of adoption can reduce street dog populations and rabies risk without resorting to mass euthanasia or lifelong confinement.

The court’s order has brought urgency to the debate. Whether policymakers choose humane, sustainable action or an impractical mass removal will shape India’s streets — and its relationship with the animals that share them — for decades to come.

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