SC orders Delhi-NCR shelters for 5,000 stray dogs in 8 weeks

The Supreme Court has shifted the Delhi-NCR stray dogs case to a newly constituted three-judge bench, ordering the immediate creation of dog shelters with a capacity to house about 5,000 animals within eight weeks. The bench, consisting of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria, is set to hear multiple petitions related to the issue, including fresh pleas challenging the earlier directive to round up strays. The move follows controversy over conflicting directions issued by different benches and comes as the court seeks to establish a unified framework for managing the stray dog population in the national capital region.

Authorities across Delhi and the surrounding national capital region have been instructed to establish shelters promptly and report on their progress within the eight-week timeline. The order explicitly directs the Delhi government, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the NDMC, and the civic bodies of Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad to create facilities that can sterilise, deworm, immunise, and care for stray dogs. Shelters must be adequately staffed and monitored, with CCTV coverage to prevent the release of dogs back onto streets, in...