New Delhi, Aug 13 : In what could be a ray of hope for the voiceless, Chief Justice of India (B.R. Gavai) on Wednesday said the Supreme Court will 'look into' the issue of relocation of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR.

The observation came after a lawyer mentioned a plea on the sterilisation and vaccination of community dogs in Delhi and referred to a 2024 apex court order passed by Justice J.K. Maheshwari-led Bench that barred the killing of stray animals and emphasised compassion towards all living beings as an enshrined Constitutional value.

Responding, CJI Gavai said, 'But the other judge Bench has already passed orders. I will look into this.'

The CJI was referring to the verdict delivered on Monday by a Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan, which directed municipal bodies across Delhi-NCR to immediately capture all stray dogs and relocate them to shelters.

Citing serious concerns over public safety and the rising risk of rabies, the Justice Pardiwala-led Bench described the situation as 'grim' and emphasised that urgent action was necessary to ensure the safety of children, women, and the elderly on the streets.

Directing the NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Council), MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi), and civic agencies in Noida, Gurugram, and Ghaziabad to make the streets completely free of stray dogs, the 2-judge Bench of the apex court issued a stern warning that any organisation or group obstructing their removal would face strict legal action.

It ordered these civic agencies to begin picking up all stray dogs in their jurisdictions and move them to designated shelters.

If such shelters do not already exist, the authorities have been asked to construct them without delay and submit a report on the infrastructure to the apex court within eight weeks.

The latest verdict on the relocation of the stray dogs to shelters in Delhi-NCR has sparked an uproar from several quarters of society.

Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, termed the apex court's directives 'a step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy'.

Several animal lovers from the entertainment industry voiced their displeasure over the Supreme Court's decision, taking to social media to express concern for the voiceless.

/IANS