The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Delhi government and local bodies to immediately capture stray dogs, detain them in pounds created across the national capital territory (NCT), and never let them loose back into public spaces. A Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said anyone trying to resist stray canines from being picked or rounded up would face contempt action from the Supreme Court. The apex court said authorities should, “at the earliest, start picking up strays from all localities, more particularly the vulnerable ones in the city and outskirts. How to do it is for the authorities to decide. If they have to create a force, do it at the earliest. The foremost and first exercise is to free localities from stray dogs. There is no compromise”. The court was hearing a suo motu case on the increasing instances of stray dog attacks on children, including infants. Addressing the clamour to protect stray dogs, the court asked whether animal rights activists would be able to return children lost to rabid stray canines to their parents. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the government, supported the court’s decision. “Have you seen Western movies? There is one called The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. When Ugly is lying in a soap-filled bathtub, his assailant comes to kill him. The man says he had been searching for Ugly for a long time. Ugly shoots him without a word, and says ‘if you have to shoot a man, shoot and don’t talk’... So, no talk. It is time to act and now,” Justice Pardiwala addressed Mr. Mehta and other lawyers for the government and authorities. The court said the situation with stray dogs was “extremely grim” across the national capital territory, Noida, Gurugram, and Ghaziabad. Justice Pardiwala said the court’s directions were in the best public interest, and to end a menace. The judge remarked in an aside that, hopefully, the directions would not prompt stray dogs to transform into pet dogs overnight. In a series of directions, the Bench ordered the authorities, including the NCT government, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, and the New Delhi Municipal Council to establish enough dog shelters/pounds to house at least 5,000 stray dogs in the first six to eight weeks. The dog pounds should be peopled with sufficient personnel. The stray dogs, once they are picked up and brought in, should be sterilised and immunised, the court said. “Since this is a progressive exercise, shelters have to be increased over time. The action should inspire confidence in the minds of the people, young and old, that they can move around freely on roads, without any fear of being bitten by strays. No sentiments should be involved in the entire exercise,” the Supreme Court observed in an order. The dog shelters must be put under CCTV surveillance in order to ensure the dogs were released or taken out. The authorities must maintain a record of strays captured and housed in pounds, and produce the records in court, the Bench said. “Not a single dog picked up shall be released back on the streets/public spaces. Otherwise, the entire exercise will go futile. If we come to know that this (release of captured dogs) has happened, we shall take stern action. If any person or organisation comes in the way of authorities picking up strays, we shall take strict action. We have only the larger public interest in our minds… infants and young children should not at any cost fall prey to such dog bites leading to rabies,” the court observed. The Bench directed the authorities to start a helpline to report incidents of dog attacks. “All cases of dog bites are to be immediately reported. Action must be taken to catch, pick up, round up the dog within four hours of the complaint received. Any resistance offered by any individual or organisation would be viewed very strictly and would lead to contempt action. The dog in question would be captured, sterilised and immunised as required by rules and not released under any circumstances,” the court directed. The authorities would assist the victim in accessing treatment without delay, the court said. Detailed information on facilities where anti-rabies vaccines were accessible, the current stock, and the patients who report for treatment on a monthly basis have to be made available to the court. Published on August 11, 2025