India Stray Dog Issue Supreme Court Order Debate

The stray dog issue in India has come under fresh scrutiny after the Supreme Court (SC), on August 11, 2025, called the situation “extremely grim” and ordered all civic bodies in Delhi and the NCR to capture and relocate stray dogs to designated shelters within eight weeks.

The ruling, while aiming to reduce rising dog attacks and rabies cases, has generated significant backlash from animal welfare groups, activists, and concerned citizens. Questions are now being raised about the data on which the apex court based its decision, and whether sheltering alone is a humane or effective long-term solution.

SC Order: Well-intentioned or Misguided?

The SC order, while firm in its language, appears to have leaned on older or partial data, as the directive mandates shelter space for 5,000 stray dogs in Delhi. This falls critically short, considering that Delhi alone had over 55,000 stray dogs as of November 2023, according to the Department of Animal Husbandry. That means the plan would barely accommodate 10% of the city’s stray population.

The bench stated that shelters would be equipped with sufficient human resources to sterilise and manage the dogs. However, vital questions remain unanswered: Where will these shelters be built? Who will fund them? What are the protocols for long-term welfare, rehoming, or humane euthanasia (if any)? With India’s current urban infrastructure already under stress, executing this order within eight weeks seems overly ambitious, if not impossible.

Dog Bites and Rabies: A Growing Concern

Between 2022 and 2024, India witnessed 8.95 million dog bite cases, marking a 45% increase over three years. In 2022, 21.8 lakh cases were reported; in 2023, the number jumped to 30.5 lakh; and in 2024, it soared to 37.1 lakh.

Maharashtra recorded the highest number of dog bites, with over 13.5 lakh cases in this period, followed by Tamil Nadu (12.8 lakh) and Gujarat (8.4 lakh). Despite having the highest stray dog population, Uttar Pradesh ranked ninth in dog bites, with 5.85 lakh cases, indicating that mere numbers of strays do not always correlate directly with bite incidents.

In terms of rabies deaths, India reported 125 fatalities during the 2022–2024 period. Again, Maharashtra topped the list with 35 deaths, followed by Karnataka with 12. Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh reported 9 deaths each. In contrast, nine states and five Union Territories reported zero deaths, including Ladakh, Mizoram, and Lakshadweep.

These statistics highlight a disturbing public health trend. However, critics argue that even this data does not give the full picture, especially since many rabies cases go unreported or misdiagnosed. This calls for updated, centralised data tracking before such drastic measures are implemented.

Social Media Reactions and Activist Commentary

The SC order immediately ignited a storm of social media reactions and public discourse, with many voicing their frustration over what they viewed as an ill-informed and hastily drawn plan. Prominent animal rights advocate Maneka Gandhi strongly criticised the decision, calling it “irrational” and “driven by anger” rather than science or compassion. She and other activists argue that mass relocation without proper infrastructure could be deeply traumatic for the animals, potentially worsening the situation.

Many X users posted images and videos of dogs being brutally removed or confined, tagging municipal corporations and urging humane alternatives. The hashtag #ProtectStreetDogs trended nationwide, as people questioned how civic bodies would build and staff multiple large-scale shelters in just eight weeks. Others, however, supported the move, pointing to increasing attacks on children and elderly citizens and calling for “citizen-first policies.”

This clash reflects a deeper divide in how India approaches urban animal management, between treating strays as a public nuisance and acknowledging them as sentient beings with rights. Some even accused the government and judiciary of ignoring the existing Animal Birth Control (ABC) guidelines that focus on sterilisation and vaccination rather than confinement.

The Supreme Court’s recent order has shone a harsh spotlight on India’s growing man-dog conflict but has also exposed serious flaws in how such issues are handled, lack of updated data, rushed policymaking, inadequate resources, and public polarisation. With over 15 million stray dogs, nearly 9 million bite cases in just three years, and more than 100 rabies deaths, the urgency is undeniable.

However, real solutions lie not in mass removal, but in systematic, long-term strategies: strict waste management, widespread ABC implementation, community education, and greater investment in adoption and rehabilitation. As the debate rages on, India stands at a crucial crossroads, whether to treat the issue with compassion and science, or continue with reactionary and short-term fixes that may do more harm than good.