The Supreme Court of India has escalated its suo moto case on the Delhi-NCR stray dog issue to a three-judge bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria, which will hear the matter tomorrow. This move reflects the gravity and controversy surrounding the case.

The matter originally gained urgency after a July 28 suo moto notice, prompted by a distressing rise in rabies cases and dog-bite fatalities particularly impacting children and the elderly in the national capital region. On August 11, a two-judge bench ordered authorities in Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad to immediately capture and relocate all stray dogs into shelters, explicitly prohibiting their return to public spaces. Legal penalties were threatened for any obstruction.

The court emphasized public safety, especially for infants, ruling that mere sterilization doesn’t eliminate the threat of rabies. The directive plans for dedicated forces, helplines, CCTV-monitored shelters, and a zero-tolerance approach to releasing dogs back into the community.

However, animal welfare groups and legal experts have criticized the order as arbitrary and a departure from the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules 2023 which advocate a humane approach: sterilization, vaccination, and returning dogs to their original habitat. Critics argue the new directive contradicts both scientific consensus and earlier rulings.