Stray dogs case: We will play video, ask you what is humanity, SC tells petitioner

A charged exchange unfolded in the Supreme Court on Thursday during proceedings in the long-running stray dogs case, as the bench responded sharply to objections over rules framed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), with one judge remarking that a video would be played at the next hearing to ask petitioners “what is humanity”.

The remark came as senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing in the matter, raised concerns over what he described as “inhuman” treatment of stray dogs under newly framed municipal rules. Sibal informed a bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta that a three-judge special bench scheduled to hear the case on Thursday had been cancelled.

“It will now come up on 7 January,” Justice Nath said.

Sibal told the court that the MCD, in the interim, had framed rules that were “completely contrary” to the spirit of earlier directions. When the bench indicated that the issue would be examined on 7 January, Sibal warned that the authorities intended to implement the rules even before then.

“They will be implementing it in December itself. They will be removing the dogs. They don’t have shelters,” he said.

Justice Nath responded calmly: “It is alright, Mr Sibal. Let them do it, we will consider.”

Unpersuaded, Sibal pressed for an urgent hearing, urging the bench to take up the matter on Friday. “It is very, very inhuman what is being done,” he said, reiterating that the authorities lacked adequate shelter facilities.

Justice Mehta, however, struck a pointed note. “On the next date, we will play a video for your benefit,” he told Sibal, “and we will ask you what is humanity.”

Sibal replied that the petitioners, too, would play a video to demonstrate the reality on the ground. He stressed that while the court’s orders were being respected, statutory rules governing animal welfare could not be ignored.

“The problem is, your lordships have passed an order and we respect that. But the point is, there are statutory rules,” he said.

The bench reiterated that the matter would be taken up on 7 January.

The case traces its origins to 7 November, when the Supreme Court, taking note of an “alarming rise” in dog bite incidents — particularly within institutional spaces such as schools, hospitals and railway stations — ordered the immediate relocation of stray dogs to designated shelters after sterilisation and vaccination.

A three-judge special bench had further directed that the dogs so removed should not be released back into the areas from which they were picked up. Authorities were also instructed to ensure the removal of cattle and other stray animals from state highways, national highways and expressways.

The court had observed that repeated dog bite incidents within institutional premises, including sports complexes, pointed to not just administrative apathy but a deeper “systemic failure” to protect public spaces from preventable hazards.

The proceedings form part of a suo motu case initiated on 28 July, following media reports highlighting a spate of stray dog attacks leading to rabies infections, particularly among children, in the national capital.

With PTI inputs