Animal rights activists and dog lovers in Chennai staged a protest on Sunday, days after the Supreme Court directed authorities to move all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to shelters within eight weeks. Demonstrators carried placards reading “Save Delhi Dogs” and “Their Lives Matter” while some participants held dogs and puppies in their arms.
The protest mirrored similar demonstrations held earlier in New Delhi, where people had gathered near India Gate on Saturday evening. Delhi Police subsequently registered four FIRs over the protests of August 11–12, noting that they took place without permission and in violation of prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which had been imposed ahead of Independence Day. Police said that when efforts were made to disperse the crowd, sections of the protest turned unruly. Several participants were detained, and action is being initiated against those accused of flouting the law.
The Supreme Court’s August 11 directive mandated that stray dogs across Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad must be removed from public areas and not released back after sterilisation. A three-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria has since reserved an interim order after hearing multiple petitions challenging the decision.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that while a “loud vocal minority” opposed the move, the “silent suffering majority” supported it, citing rising rabies cases and child attacks. However, senior advocate Kapil Sibal questioned the availability of adequate shelter facilities, stressing the need for humane implementation of Animal Birth Control Rules.