A heated clash broke out outside the Supreme Court between a lawyer and a dog lover, shortly after the court ordered the relocation of stray dogs from residential areas to shelter homes.
In a video of the incident, now widely circulated online, the lawyer can be seen grabbing a civilian, striking him twice, and shoving him before bystanders intervened to break up the scuffle. Shouts and abusive language from the surrounding crowd can be heard in the background. The confrontation reportedly began during arguments between animal rights supporters and lawyers who backed the court’s order.
Video Credit: NDTV
A bench led by Justice J.B. Pardiwala directed civic bodies in Delhi NCR — including Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram — to immediately set up dog shelters equipped with trained handlers, sterilisation and vaccination facilities, and CCTV monitoring.
“We are not doing this for us, it is for the public interest. So, no sentiments of any nature should be involved. Action should be taken at the earliest,” Justice Pardiwala said, instructing authorities to collect strays from all localities and shift them to shelters, even if that meant setting aside existing rules temporarily.
The order came in response to rising dog bite incidents and rabies deaths in the region. However, it drew sharp criticism from animal rights advocates, including former Union minister Maneka Gandhi, who called the directive “impractical”, “financially unviable” and “potentially harmful” to the ecological balance.
Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai has assured that the court will revisit the ban on stray dogs in residential areas, following protests and petitions from various quarters.
