Strays Get Relocated. Rapists Roam Free.

Published on by Harpreet ChhachhiaLeave a comment

There have been widespread protests across India—and even abroad—against the Supreme Court’s cruel, senseless ruling to remove stray dogs from Delhi NCR. Animal lovers and activists have hit the streets, shouting, marching, getting detained, and still refusing to be silenced. Why? Because this isn’t just about dogs. This is about justice, compassion, and calling out the rank hypocrisy of a system that pretends to protect but in reality scapegoats the voiceless.

The Protests They Want to Dismiss

From Ramlila Maidan to Connaught Place to Karol Bagh, hundreds of people came out demanding the withdrawal of this order. Their slogans were clear: sterilise, vaccinate, care — don’t cage and kill. The police, of course, were ready. Activists were dragged, shoved, even detained like criminals — for daring to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

And it’s not just Delhi. Mumbai, Lucknow, Chennai, Jaipur, Siliguri, Bengaluru, Pune, Ghaziabad — all saw protests. In London, Indian expats stood outside the High Commission, because cruelty travels across borders and so does outrage. Almost 4 lakh signatures on petitions in a matter of days — and yet the Court calls itself the voice of justice?

What Protesters Are Actually Saying

Throwing lakhs of dogs into overcrowded, filthy shelters isn’t “management.” It’s mass cruelty. It’s death by neglect. Sterilisation and vaccination work. They work everywhere they’ve actually been implemented properly. But our governments never put real money, infrastructure, or honesty behind these programmes. This isn’t about safety. This is about appearances. About pushing a problem out of sight, so middle-class guilt can be tucked away with the dogs themselves.

The Numbers They Don’t Want You to Compare

Yes, rabies deaths in India are tragic — between 5,700 and 18,000 a year. But do you know what else happens here? I was in shock seeing a disabled woman being chased by men on bikes. Then I read what happened to her. Then I read the story of a 19-year old who was raped and murdered gruesomely. And guess what the numbers are? Over 31,000 rapes are reported annually. Over 4,00,000 crimes against women in a single year. Murders. Dowry deaths. Honour killings. Domestic abuse. Suicides from persecution. And those are only the reported numbers.

Tell me — where is the suo motu outrage from the Supreme Court then? Where are the urgent orders, the midnight hearings, the threats of contempt for inaction? Why are dogs punished for existing, while women are told to “adjust”?

The truth is unbearable: dogs are easier to cage than men are to reform.

Also, there has been a notable case in India where a dog saved a woman from harm, including an attempted rape. In Vasai, a brave stray dog reportedly saved a woman from a horrific attack by a 7-foot-tall assailant, preventing the crime. This incident highlights the heroic intervention of the dog to protect the woman from the attacker.

Additionally, there are other instances where pet dogs have come to the rescue of their owners or women in danger, including one case in South Delhi where a pet dog foiled a robbery attempt on a woman.

These incidents demonstrate dogs’ significant role in protecting humans in dangerous situations in India.

The Shelter Lie

Delhi has nearly a million stray dogs. The city can “shelter” maybe 4,000. That’s it. The maths is simple. What they call “sheltering” is just a polite word for mass death. We’ve seen it before — disease outbreaks, fighting, illegal culling. Shelters become graveyards.

And yet the government wants us to believe this is compassion? Spare me.

The Real Problem

The problem isn’t dogs. It’s us. Our greed, our overpopulation, our endless sprawl into every patch of land and forest. Leopards enter cities, they’re killed. Stray dogs live among us, they’re caged. Always the animal’s fault, never our own.

We talk about development, but our policies are built on cruelty, corruption, and cowardice. And people who speak for animals are mocked as “jobless” or “sentimental.” As if empathy is a weakness, and apathy is strength.

What This Protest Really Means

This isn’t just about stray dogs. This is about who we are as a people. Whether we choose fear and cruelty, or whether we finally grow the courage to coexist with the beings who share this land with us.

The protests aren’t going away. Neither is the anger. Because we know the truth: India doesn’t have a dog problem. India has a humanity problem.

Farewell to Terence Stamp: A Regal Villain and a Fearless Diva

Published on by Harpreet ChhachhiaLeave a comment

Today I received the sad news that Terence Stamp, an understated yet immensely distinguished and refined actor, has passed away at the age of 87. 🌹

Old age catches up with all of us, but this news struck me with a terrible sense of pathos. Terence Stamp was the actor I first saw as the antagonist to Christopher Reeve’s Superman. I was five when I saw the first film, and seven when I saw him again in the sequel as General Zod.

His Zod was unlike anything I’d seen before—commanding, regal, and filled with such dignity and menace that it left a lasting imprint on my young mind. For me, no later version of Zod ever came close. Zack Snyder’s interpretation simply didn’t have that same majesty, much like how Henry Cavill, in my opinion, could never quite capture what Christopher Reeve brought to Superman. But that’s just me, shaped by the magic of those formative years.

Bernadette

Of course, Terence Stamp was not just Zod. Years later, I saw him in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert—playing the marvellous diva Bernadette. He was born for that role. He brought elegance, courage, and sheer chutzpah to the screen, and for me, as someone connected to the homosexual subculture, it resonated deeply. To witness the same man who had once embodied the ultimate villain now shine as a gutsy, glamorous drag queen was extraordinary. It made my admiration for him reverberate through my life.

Hearing of his passing today brings with it the sadness of recognising that the people I grew up loving are slowly leaving us. That’s the way of life: people pass on, generations shift, and the torch is carried forward. I look ahead with interest at David Corenswet as the next Superman and Timothy Holt as Lex Luthor, but I can’t help but look back with gratitude at those who defined my childhood.

A Career of Depth and Range

Terence Stamp’s career stretched across six decades and showcased his extraordinary versatility. He made his film debut in Billy Budd (1962), earning an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of the idealistic young sailor. He cemented his reputation with chilling performances in The Collector (1965) and later moved into international productions, including Fellini’s Spirits of the Dead.

In the 1980s, he appeared in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street (1987), proving his ability to remain relevant in every era. A new generation came to know his voice as Chancellor Valorum in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999), and he never stopped surprising audiences with his range.

From swinging London in the sixties to blockbuster franchises and groundbreaking queer cinema, Terence Stamp moved seamlessly between worlds—always with refinement, depth, and magnetism.

Eternal Impressions

For me, he will always be remembered—not only as General Zod, but as Bernadette too. A legend who embodied both power and vulnerability, menace and elegance.

I hope the world remembers him as fondly as I do. I, for one, always will.

When Two Judges Can Move Thousands of Dogs—but Five Judges Won’t Move on Marriage Equality

Published on by Harpreet ChhachhiaLeave a comment

India just witnessed something extraordinary: a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court ordered Delhi–NCR to round up every stray dog and move them into shelters within eight weeks, warning of contempt for anyone who resists. The order, passed on 11 August 2025, explicitly rubbishes the government’s own Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023—which require sterilise-vaccinate-return (SVR) and bar relocation. Meanwhile, on the fundamental question of marriage equality, a five-judge Constitution Bench in Supriyo v. Union of India (17 Oct 2023) declined to recognise same-sex marriage, saying Parliament must act. The contrast is stark—and troubling.       

The duplicity problem

• On stray dogs (2025): Multiple outlets report the Supreme Court directed MCD/NDMC/Noida/Gurugram/Ghaziabad to remove all street dogs to shelters and never release them back—contrary to ABC 2023’s core SVR principle. Reports also quote the bench calling the “sterilise and return” rule “absurd”, and warning NGOs not to obstruct. Subsequent coverage shows the CJI indicating the Court “will look into” conflicts with earlier SC positions that barred killing/relocation.     

• On marriage equality (2023): A five-judge bench held that recognising same-sex marriage under the Special Marriage Act is for Parliament, not the Court. The Court acknowledged discrimination against LGBTQ+ people but refused to read queer couples into the SMA, instead suggesting a government committee to consider limited benefits.    

If a two-judge bench can, in effect, override a central rule and upend the ABC policy nationwide (de facto, via a Delhi–NCR precedent), why was a five-judge bench unwilling to interpret the SMA to uphold equal citizenship? The institutional posture flips: muscular, near-legislative urgency for dogs; judicial restraint for queer families.

Why the dog order is legally and practically dangerous

• Conflicts with law & policy: The ABC Rules, 2023 (notified under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act) codify sterilisation, vaccination, and return to the same locality. They also provide for designated feeding points and humane management. The SC’s relocation directive collides with this framework.   

• Unworkable on the ground: Delhi–NCR lacks the shelter infrastructure to permanently house tens of thousands of dogs. Civic bodies and activists warn of overcrowding, disease, and cruelty if mass detention is attempted. Even cities outside NCR are saying they simply cannot emulate this model.   

• Counterproductive for public health: ABC’s SVR model is designed to reduce bites and rabies by stabilising territorial packs and maintaining vaccination coverage. Forced removals often trigger ecological gaps, influx of unvaccinated dogs, and more conflict.  

Given these risks, the Court’s willingness to make a sweeping, arguably suo motu-style intervention (as several reports characterise it) feels less like adjudication and more like policy-making.  

Meanwhile, queer couples are told to wait for Parliament

In Supriyo, the Court affirmed dignity and non-discrimination but declined to provide a workable remedy through interpretation—despite doing exactly that in many rights cases. It was content to ask the executive to study “benefits” while keeping the door shut on equal marriage and adoption. For LGBTQ+ Indians, the message is: your equality is a legislative grace, not a judicial guarantee.  

Is this about politics?

I worry this sudden, headline-grabbing “law-and-order” posture on dogs is a political distraction at a time when allegations about election integrity are flaring. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress have launched campaigns on “vote theft,” citing manipulation across dozens of constituencies and fake voters—charges that, if true, strike at the heart of democracy. These remain allegations, and must be investigated transparently; but the timing is conspicuous.   

What the record shows (for readers who want the receipts)

• Stray dog order (Aug 11, 2025): Reuters, Indian Express, DD News and others report the Court directed capture and relocation to shelters within eight weeks; follow-ups note possible review because of conflicting past orders.     

• ABC Rules, 2023 (Mar 10, 2023): Government-notified rules mandate sterilise-vaccinate-return, designated feeding areas, and humane management by local bodies/AWOs.   

• Marriage equality (Oct 17, 2023): Five-judge bench in Supriyo declines to recognise same-sex marriage; says Parliament must decide; suggests an executive committee for limited rights. Official judgment and reputable summaries available.   

• Election integrity claims (Aug 2025): Rahul Gandhi alleges “vote-chori” in 48 seats, protests announced; these are currently claims by the opposition, not findings by a court or inquiry.   

My stance

When courts flex power to reorder city life overnight—but plead restraint on core constitutional equality—the result feels like duplicity. Stray dogs are not pawns in a political game; they are sentient beings protected under our laws. Delhi–NCR should implement ABC 2023 rigorously—high-coverage sterilisation, mass anti-rabies vaccination, monitored feeding points, quick response to aggression—rather than unlawful, unscientific mass detention. And LGBTQ+ Indians deserve more than dignity in theory; they deserve equality in fact.

If we can uproot an entire animal-management regime with two signatures, surely we can find the constitutional courage to read equality into our marriage laws—or at the very least, to stop treating queer rights as someone else’s homework.

⸻

Note on sources & fairness: I’ve cited mainstream reporting, government notifications, and the Supriyo judgment. The bench composition and some characterisations (e.g., “absurd” remark on SVR) come from multiple reports; if the Court issues a formal clarification or stay, that will need to be reflected. Allegations of “vote theft” are presented as claims by Rahul Gandhi and the Congress, pending independent verification.