MUMBAI — A recent Supreme Court order to transfer all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to shelters within eight weeks has sparked a nationwide debate, with Bollywood celebrities divided on the issue. Actor Manoj Bajpayee has offered a balanced perspective, stating that while animals deserve love and compassion, humans also have a right to feel safe.
In an Instagram story, Bajpayee wrote, “These animals didn’t choose the streets. They deserve our love and compassion. But at the same time, people have a right to feel safe. We should decide their fate not out of fear but with compassion and a balanced approach.”
Supreme Court Ruling and the Response
The order was passed on August 11 by a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan. It mandates that all stray dogs in Delhi and the National Capital Region be moved to shelters, vaccinated, and not released back onto the streets. The court held that the relevant municipal corporations would be responsible for this task.
This decision has split Bollywood into two camps. Actors like Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan reacted sharply on social media, calling the ruling an “atrocity on voiceless animals.” They were joined by Tiger Shroff, Bhumi Pednekar, Raveena Tandon, John Abraham, Vir Das, Chinmayi Sripada, and Aditi Govitrikar, who have also spoken out against the decision.
John Abraham went so far as to write a letter to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, arguing that the order goes against “animal rights and the protection provided by the constitution.” Raveena Tandon criticized the negligence of local bodies and the failure of sterilization programs as the root cause of the problem.
Conversely, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma and actor Randeep Hooda have supported the court’s decision. Varma stated that human life should be prioritized, as children’s lives are at risk on the streets. Randeep Hooda called the move “a big step towards a solution.”
The debate is not just about the rights of animals versus humans, but also about the need for social harmony, coexistence, and responsibility. Manoj Bajpayee’s comments offer a new direction to this discussion, one that avoids neglecting either animal welfare or public safety.
