TAKING A STERN VIEW, , the Supreme Court on Monday directed civic authorities in Delhi-NCR to remove stray dogs from all localities within eight weeks and lodge them in dedicated shelter homes.
A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan said that there should be “no compromise” in making streets free of stray dogs, and made it clear that no captured animal will be released back on the streets.
It also ordered contempt proceedings against any individual or organisation obstructing the capture drive.
“If any individual or organisation comes in the way of picking stray dogs or rounding them up, we will proceed to take action against any such resistance,” Justice Pardiwala warned.
The bench directed the governments of Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad, alongside Municipal Corporation of Delhi and New Delhi Municipal Council to begin the drive immediately, prioritising vulnerable localities. Authorities were told to create a dedicated “force” if necessary and ensure shelters have sufficient staff to sterilise and vaccinate the animals.
The Court further ordered setting up of a dedicated helpline to register dog-bite complaints, with offending animals to be picked up within four hours of complaint.
