Mumbai/IBNS: Bollywood actors Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Janhvi Kapoor have protested against the Supreme Court order that has asked for a relocation of all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to shelters amid the rise in rabies cases.

In a similar statement, Varun, Kriti and Janhvi wrote, "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 dogs.'

"They are the ones who wait outside your tea stall for a biscuit. They are the silent night guards for shopkeepers. They are the tails wagging when children return from school. They are the warmth in a cold, uncaring city."

Photo: Screen-grab/Kriti Sanon Instagram

"Yes, there are problems — bites, safety concerns — but caging an entire community of animals is not a solution, it’s an erasure. The real fix? Large-scale sterilization programs, regular vaccination drives, community feeding zones, and adoption campaigns.

"Not punishment. Not imprisonment. A society that can’t protect its voiceless is a society losing its soul. Today it’s the dogs. Tomorrow... who will it be? Raise your voice. Because they don’t have one."

The top court on Monday ruled that all stray dogs from the residential localities will have to be shifted to the shelters within eight weeks and any organisation attempting to block it will face the strictest punishment.

A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan passed the order while hearing the matter after taking note of a news report on deaths due to rabies following dog bites.

The court said it will only hear the Centre's argument and not from any dog lover or a third party in the case.

"We are not doing this for us, it is for the public interest. So, no sentiments of any nature should be involved. Action should be taken at the earliest," Justice Pardiwala said as quoted by NDTV.

"Pick up dogs from all localities and shift them to shelters. For the time being, forget the rules."

The court has ordered the Delhi government, the civic body MCD and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to pick up all stray dogs from residential areas, colonies of Delhi-NCR and place them in shelters.

An adoption of the stray dogs has also been barred by the top court.

The civic authorities in Delhi-NCR have been asked to set up dog shelters, relocate the stray dogs, depute professionals who can tackle, sterilise and immunise the dogs.

The court has asked the civic authorities to give an update on the steps they take.

"All these animal activists, will they be able to bring back those who have fallen prey to rabies? We need to make streets absolutely free of stray dogs," the bench said as quoted by the broadcaster.

From January to June this year, over 35,000 animal bite incidents have been reported from Delhi-NCR.

As per the official data produced by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), 49 cases of rabies have been reported in the same period, reports said.

Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, however, on Wednesday said he would examine the order.

When the matter was raised before the CJI this morning, he said as quoted by NDTV, "I will look into this."