'They call it a menace, we call it a heartbeat': Ritika Sajdeh reacts to SC directive on stray dogs in Delhi-NCR

Rohit Sharma's wife Ritika Sajdeh has reacted to Supreme Court's directive for the civic bodies across Delhi-NCR to immediately capture all stray dogs and relocate them to shelters, citing concerns over public safety.In an Instagram Story, she said, "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.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 sterilisation 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. Please share this," she continued.The bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said that all localities should be made free of stray dogs and there should not be any compromise. It also made it clear that no captured animal will be released back on the streets.The court ordered that contempt proceedings will be initiated against any individual or organisation that attempts to obstruct the authorities from carrying out the capture drive."If any individual or organisation comes in the way of picking stray dogs or rounding them up, we will proceed to take action against any such resistance," said Justice Pardiwala.The apex court also directed the states and municipal authorities to create dog shelters with sufficient staff to sterilise and immunise them."NCT Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad, MCD, and NMDC shall start picking up stray dogs from all localities, particularly from more vulnerable localities.

It is for the authorities to look into, and if they have to create a force, do it at the earliest. However, this should be the first and foremost exercise to make all localities free of stray dogs. There should not be any compromise in undertaking the exercise," said the bench.It further directed that authorities in Delhi-NCR must set up a helpline so all dog bite complaints can be registered, with the offending animal picked up within four hours of complaint. It also ordered all authorities to maintain a record of daily stray dogs captured and detained.The bench stated that CCTV monitoring will ensure compliance, and no dog should be released back into the street or public spaces.