Former India cricket captain Kapil Dev has called on Delhi authorities to provide stray dogs with a better life, following a recent Supreme Court directive to move them to shelter homes. The order instructed the Delhi government and other relevant bodies to remove stray dogs from public spaces and house them in designated shelters. The decision has sparked controversy among animal rights activists, who fear challenges in its implementation. In a video message for animal welfare group Petfamilia, Kapil Dev said he believed dogs were among the most beautiful creatures and appealed to officials to treat them with compassion. “I request the authorities to look after them, give them a better life, and not throw them out,” he said. The matter returned to court after another bench questioned why authorities had begun picking up animals even before the earlier order was made public. The bench also criticised the lack of proper implementation of animal control guidelines, which has contributed to the current situation.
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A bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta, and Justice NV Anjaria heard the case this morning. This followed an August 11 order by a two-judge bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan, which led to protests by animal lovers against the removal of strays from residential areas. Representing the Delhi government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta highlighted incidents of stray dog attacks on children, some resulting in fatalities from rabies. He argued that sterilisation alone cannot prevent rabies and stressed that while dogs should not be killed, they need to be separated from public spaces for safety reasons. Citing government data, he said there were 37 lakh dog bite cases in the last year, adding that the issue requires urgent court intervention.
