As India celebrated its Independence Day on August 15, 2025, the spirit of freedom resonated beyond humans, with actress Raveena Tandon advocating for the rights of stray animals amidst a Supreme Court decision concerning stray dogs in Delhi-NCR.
The Supreme Court on August 11, 2025, directed that all stray dogs in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) be rounded up within eight weeks and housed in dedicated dog shelters to be set up by civic authorities. The court made it clear that no captured animal would be released back onto the streets. This order followed a petition registered on its own motion regarding the "alarming and disturbing" rise in stray dog attacks. A bench of justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan also ordered contempt proceedings against anyone obstructing the authorities from carrying out the capture drive. Additionally, the court directed authorities in Delhi-NCR to set up a helpline so all dog bite complaints can be registered, with the offending animal picked up “within four hours” of a complaint.
Tandon, known for her love for animals, has strongly criticized the Supreme Court's verdict ordering the relocation of stray dogs to shelters in Delhi-NCR. Calling the move "impossible to implement" and "a knee-jerk reaction," Tandon told NDTV that this decision could endanger the lives of both vaccinated and unvaccinated dogs, as well as sick and healthy ones, by putting them all together without proper segregation. She stated, "This is like extermination. This is ridiculous".
Tandon has instead urged for the government to focus on continuous vaccination and sterilization drives rather than removing all dogs from the streets. She believes that the local bodies are to blame for the increase in the population of stray dogs. Tandon stated that the local bodies are responsible for the strays in their communities and that sterilization is the need of the hour. "If these had been implemented in a proper and organised manner, we wouldn't have reached this point. Many countries have tried such mass relocation before, and it has failed. This won't work either," she asserted.
Several other celebrities, including John Abraham, Janhvi Kapoor, and Varun Dhawan, have also condemned the order. Abraham wrote an open letter to CJI BR Gavai, requesting a reconsideration of the Supreme Court's ruling. In his letter, Abraham stated that the directive conflicts with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, which prohibit the displacement of dogs, instead mandating their sterilisation, vaccination, and return to the areas they inhabit. He also highlighted data showing that the ABC program works where implemented earnestly, citing Jaipur and Lucknow as examples.
The Supreme Court's directive has also received support from resident welfare associations. Anand Goel, president of Vivek Vihar RWA, argues that those condemning the move "have not had to deal with a stray dog biting their loved ones". He believes that putting dogs into shelters is better than them being run over by cars on the streets. Advocate Ashok Nigam explained that concerned bodies have been given enough time to first develop and set up the shelter homes to accommodate the dogs and that no animal rights are being curtailed.
The debate over the Supreme Court's order highlights the complex issues surrounding stray dog management, balancing public safety with animal rights. As the authorities move forward with the implementation of the order, the voices of animal lovers like Raveena Tandon and others serve as a reminder of the importance of humane and sustainable solutions.
