The Supreme Court on Thursday strongly criticized local authorities for their failure to address the growing stray dog problem and reserved its decision on a set of petitions challenging its earlier directive to round up stray dogs in the Delhi-NCR region.
A three-judge bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria expressed frustration over the lack of enforcement. “Parliament makes laws, but they’re not being implemented. Local authorities are shirking their responsibilities — they should be held accountable,” the bench remarked.
Despite the criticism, the court did not stay the controversial order issued on August 11 by Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, which had instructed civic bodies to round up all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR and relocate them to shelters within eight weeks.
The order had sparked widespread backlash, prompting the Chief Justice of India to reassign the case to a new bench.
During Thursday’s hearing, the bench said it would consider whether an urgent stay or modification of the August 11 order was necessary. “On one side, we have human suffering, and on the other, animal rights activists,” the court observed.
Representing the Delhi government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta highlighted the divide, noting, “There is a loud vocal minority and a silent suffering majority. I’ve seen people who call themselves animal lovers post videos eating meat — the irony is hard to miss.”
The court has yet to issue a final ruling on the matter.
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