The Campus Law Centre at Delhi University, one of India’s oldest legal education centres, urged the Supreme Court on January 8, 2026, to stop trusting bureaucracy or municipal authorities to solve the stray dog problem humanely. The Centre said the simple way is to "do it yourself." Frustrated by official inaction, students and faculty started an ‘animal cell.’ They found 49 stray dogs on campus and, with vet help, have vaccinated and sterilised 28 dogs already. The Centre's counsel told a three-judge Bench led by Justice Vikram Nath that the stray dog population has not grown. They also pointed out how stray cattle still roam freely in Delhi and suburbs, blocking traffic and causing health risks. These cattle remain despite court orders since the late 1990s to municipal authorities for removal. "A day before the court hearing, the municipal authority would come to court and say that they had removed eight cattle. If the court still appeared dissatisfied, the authority would reveal that gaushalas were filled beyond capacity, and there was absolutely no room for more," the counsel said. The Centre highlighted that only five government dog shelters exist across the country—in Chandigarh, Kanpur, Jammu, Srinagar, and Noida—and private shelters are overcrowded. Infrastructure improvements are badly needed. Justice Nath asked if municipal authorities offered help to the Centre’s team. The counsel answered no. He suggested courts should order institutions to form their own ‘animal cells.’ The hearing related to a Supreme Court order from November 7, 2025, directing states and UTs to immediately remove stray dogs from places like schools, hospitals, bus stands, and railway stations, and relocate them to shelters after sterilisation and vaccination per the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. A senior counsel for animal rights activists warned that sudden removal of stray dogs could harm the urban environment, noting rodents also threaten cities. Justice Sandeep Mehta joked, "having more cats than dogs" could help control rodents. Justice Mehta also noted, "There are stray dogs roaming the corridors of public hospitals, near patients’ beds. People who use these institutions should not be subject to dog bites." An activists’ counsel said the real issue is poor implementation of the ABC Rules, and violators should be punished rather than ignoring the rules. Another lawyer asked the court to extend orders to resident welfare associations. He explained that dog feeding points are often too far apart, causing dogs to cross territories and trigger fights, putting humans at risk. He stressed the Rules aim to reduce dog populations, not protect them.