Janhvi Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Others Criticise Supreme Court’s Stray Dog Relocation Order

The Supreme Court’s decision to relocate all stray dogs from the streets of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to shelters has sparked sharp criticism from Bollywood celebrities.

Janhvi Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Tiger Shroff, Sophie Choudry, and Raveena Tandon have publicly expressed their disapproval, calling the move ‘inhumane’ and urging for more compassionate solutions.

Taking to Instagram, Janhvi Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, and Tiger Shroff shared a unified message condemning the verdict.

The statement read, “They call it a menace. We call it a heartbeat. Today, the Supreme Court says- take every stray dog off the streets of Delhi-NCR and lock them away. No sunlight. No freedom. No familiar faces they greet every morning. But these aren’t just “stray dog”. These aren’t just ‘stray dogs’. They are the ones who wait outside your tea stall for a biscuit, the silent night guards for shopkeepers, the tails wagging when children return from school. Caging an entire community of animals is not a solution — it’s an erasure.”

 

The note called for ‘large-scale sterilisation programmes, regular vaccination drives, community feeding zones, and adoption campaigns’ as more effective measures, stressing that ‘a society that can’t protect its voiceless is a society losing its soul’.

Sophie Choudry’s Strong Reaction

Sophie Choudry described the verdict as ‘absolutely heartbreaking and cruel’, pointing out that shelters would be unable to accommodate the sheer number of dogs.

While acknowledging that strays can sometimes pose safety concerns, she insisted that authorities must find a more humane solution than what they have declared and criticised how animal cruelty often goes unpunished.

A pack of stray dogs chased her, and she noted that although it frightened her, mass confinement was not justified.

Raveena Tandon Blames Lack of Sterilisation

Raveena Tandon told Hindustan Times that the root cause of the problem lay in inadequate vaccination and sterilisation drives.

“Local bodies are responsible for the strays in their communities, and sterilisation is the need of the hour,” she said, adding that proper infrastructure and funding could have prevented the current crisis.

She is also actively criticising the order of the Supreme Court through Instagram stories.

The Supreme Court’s Order

On Monday, the Supreme Court ordered civic bodies in Delhi and NCR to catch all stray dogs within eight weeks. The court also directed that these dogs be housed in newly established shelters.

Authorities will catch the animals and keep them off the streets.

Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan issued the directive during a hearing on rising stray dog attacks. The court warned that obstructing officials during the capture process could lead to contempt proceedings.

The ruling also mandates the creation of a helpline for reporting dog bite incidents. Authorities must capture the reported animal within four hours of a complaint.

The order has ignited a broader debate on animal rights, public safety, and humane solutions. The court’s ruling aims to protect citizens from attacks.

However, critics argue that mass removal without sustainable alternatives risks worsening animal welfare and ignores the root causes.

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