‘Cruel and shortsighted’: Rahul Gandhi on Supreme Court’s stray dogs removal order

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP from Raibareli, Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday said that the Supreme Court’s directive to remove all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR within eight weeks is “cruel and shortsighted.”

In a social media post on X, Rahul Gandhi stated that the apex court order represents a step backward from decades of humane and science-backed policy.

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“The SC’s directive to remove all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR is a step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy,” he said.

The Leader of the Opposition said these voiceless souls are not “problems” to be erased.

“Shelters, sterilisation, vaccination & community care can keep streets safe – without cruelty,” he asserted.

Rahul stated that blanket removal of stray dogs will also strip people of compassion.

“Blanket removals are cruel, shortsighted, and strip us of compassion. We can ensure public safety and animal welfare go hand in hand,” he added.

His remarks came a day after the Supreme Court directed civic authorities to capture all strays, sterilise and vaccinate them, and relocate them to newly built shelters. The court gave authorities eight weeks to create the facilities and install CCTV monitoring to ensure no animals are released back onto the streets.

The court also warned dog lovers and organisations that strict action would be taken if they hindered authorities from picking up the dogs.

Also Read: SC warns dog lovers of stern action if they come in way of authorities picking-up stray dogs

The order had also received a sharp reaction from animal rights watchdog PETA India. In a statement, PETA India said that the removal of all stray dogs from streets in Delhi-NCR is not scientific and the move will lead to their starvation.

“Communities think of neighbourhood dogs as family, and the displacement and jailing of dogs is not scientific and has NEVER worked,” PETA India said in a statement.

PETA stated that Delhi has around 10 lakh community dogs, and less than half of them are sterilized.

Read More: ‘Displacement of dogs unscientific, will lead to their starvation’

“Forced removal of some 10 lakh community dogs from Delhi’s streets will cause uproar in communities that care deeply for them and chaos and suffering for the dogs on a large scale. It will also ultimately do nothing to curb the dog population, reduce rabies, or prevent dog bite incidents,” it said.

PETA also pointed out that building enough shelters is not feasible and leads to starvation and territorial fights among dogs.

“This is because it is unfeasible to build enough dog shelters, and displacing dogs causes fights over territory and problems like starvation. Ultimately, dogs make their way back into the same territories, especially when puppies continue to be born,” the statement said.

“Instead of wasting time, effort, and public resources on ineffective and inhumane displacement drives, an effective sterilisation program is still the solution and urgent need,” it added.