CJI BR Gavai Assures To Examine A Plea Challenging Relocation Of Stray Dogs From Delhi

Chief Justice of India BR Gavai assured on Wednesday that he would look into the ongoing issue relating to community dogs after a plea was filed challenging the Supreme Court’s recent directions regarding their relocation.

The CJI’s remarks came after a matter relating to stray dogs was mentioned before a bench headed by the CJI for urgent listing. Advocate Nanita Sharma has filed a petition, stating that two benches of the apex court have passed different orders on the stray dogs issue.

Supreme Court On Aug 11, 2025, Directed To Relocate All Stray Dogs From Delhi-NCR

The Apex Court on Monday, Aug 11, 2025, directed the Delhi Government, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to relocate all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR within eight weeks and shift them to designated shelters.

Advocate Nandita Sharma said, “This is about the community dogs issue. There is an earlier judgment of this court, of a bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and Sanjay Karol, which says there cannot be indiscriminate killing of canines and that compassion for all living beings has to be there.”

Sharma today mentioned the petition filed by an organisation named Conference for Human Rights (India), challenging a Delhi High Court’s order in its PIL seeking directions for sterilisation and vaccination of community dogs in Delhi as per the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules.

In August 2023, the High Court disposed of the PIL without issuing any specific directions, having recorded its satisfaction with the steps taken by the authorities.

Top Court Came On A Suo motu Proceedings Over Dog Attacks

It said that all localities should be made free of stray dogs and there should not be any compromise, while making it clear that no captured animal will be released back on the streets. It also ordered contempt proceedings against any individual or organisation that attempts to obstruct the authorities from carrying out the capture drive.

The order of the top court came on a suo motu proceedings initiated by it over a media report on the growing menace of stray dog attacks leading to rabies.

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