Chief Justice of India B R Gavai on Wednesday withdrew the case pertaining to strays from the bench led by Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, who directed the administration and the Delhi government to remove the street dogs from the city. The CJI has now reassigned the same to a three-panel judges bench led by Justices NV Anjaria, Sandeep Mehta, and Nath.
The SC. CJI Gavai’s intervention comes in the wake of massive protests from activists, lay citizens, and political leaders across the spectrum who are demanding a more humane way of dealing with the issue. The SC in its previous ruling dated August 11, had heavily come down against activists warning of appropriate actions for obstructing the administration from removing the strays from the streets.
As of yesterday, nearly 700 strays were captured around the Red Fort area ahead of the Independence Day function, which will be held tomorrow.
Activists are worried that there’s not a single sustainable state-run shelter that can host over 3 lakh strays in the city. The monumental cost of arranging shelters for the community doggos is estimated to be around Rs 15,000 crore, if not less.
Amid the cacophony, the SC bench will hear the plea from two counsels today.
Meanwhile, a doggo spotted at the court premises ahead of the hearing has left the internet in splits.
A dog spotted in the SC premises as the Court is set to hear the stray dog matter today. https://t.co/Je8NexXty0 pic.twitter.com/DIyLE3RpgG
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) August 14, 2025
Reactions poured in. One user quipped, “Will fight his own case.” Another user remarked, “Victim has the right to come to court and attend the hearing.” A third user wrote, “His name is Dogesh Kumar and is here to know about his future!” Yet another user commented, “Clients are allowed inside the SC complex. So, why not?!” One more user noted, “Dogesh Bhai faisla sunne gye hai.”
Will fight his own case.
— Tarun Gautam (@TARUNspeakss) August 14, 2025
Victim has the right to come to court and attend the hearing.
— Nitish Bharadwaj (@HarUniversity) August 14, 2025
His name is Dogesh Kumar and is here to know about his future!
— Pranav Mahajan (@pranavmahajan) August 14, 2025
Clients are allowed inside the SC complex. So, why not!!
— . (@ehwhats_up_doc) August 14, 2025
Dogesh Bhai faisla sunne gye hai.
— chole_chature (@chole_chature) August 14, 2025
See Also: Video Of Delhi Dog Shelter’s Pathetic Condition Breaks The Internet’s Heart Amid SC’s Diktat: Watch
See Also: Ratan Tata Praised For Compassion After Video Shows Stray Dog Roaming Taj Mahal Palace Hotel
Cover: Live Law / Twitter