Can Animal Lovers Bring Back Kids Killed By Rabies?: Supreme Court Asks In Plea To Remove Delhi Stray Dogs

Name of the case: Suo Moto matter concerning the increasing incidents of rabies affecting infants, young children, and the elderly."

Date of judgement/order/observation: August 11, 2025

Supreme Court Judgement/order/observation: The Supreme Court questioned animal rights activists opposing the movement of stray dogs to shelters, asking if they could bring back children who have died from rabies and dog bites.

The Court ordered that stray dogs in the National Capital Region (NCR) be immediately moved to dedicated shelters and not released back into localities, even after sterilization.

The bench, comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan, stated that such litigation should not involve sentiments and warned of contempt proceedings against anyone interfering with their directions.

Justice Pardiwala criticized activists for not considering the deaths of children due to rabies from stray dogs. The Court refused to entertain any intervention applications from animal rights activists and organizations.