John Abraham urges CJI to review SC ruling on Delhi’s stray Dogs

August 13, 2025

New Delhi:  Bollywood actor John Abraham has petitioned Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai to reconsider a recent Supreme Court directive mandating the relocation of all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to shelters or remote areas.

Abraham labeled the order “illegal, impractical, and inhumane” in his letter and urged adherence to established animal welfare protocols.

The Friday ruling by a bench led by Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan directed civic bodies across Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, and Ghaziabad to capture and house stray dogs in designated facilities within eight weeks. The judgment also ordered surveillance through CCTV, a bite-report helpline, and fast-track removal of dogs in vulnerable localities. Importantly, it prohibited their release back to public spaces.

In his letter, Abraham stressed that community dogs are integral to Delhi’s ecosystem, calling them “Delhiites” who have long cohabited with people. He highlighted that the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, and World Health Organization guidelines mandate humane solutions—sterilization, vaccination, and return to their territories—not displacement. He cited examples of Jaipur and Lucknow, which have successfully implemented sterilization programs covering over 70% and 84% of their dog populations respectively.

Abraham warned that removing Delhi’s estimated 1 million community dogs could worsen public health risks by creating a vacuum that unsterilized and unvaccinated dogs would fill—leading to increased territorial conflicts and rabies risk.

The directive has sparked a wave of celebrity backlash, with figures like Janhvi Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Vir Das, and others denouncing the court’s order on social media as inhumane and pushing instead for compassionate, science-based animal welfare solutions.