New Delhi: Highlighting that the “common man is troubled”, Delhi High Court Thursday asked Delhi govt and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to file a comprehensive report on the steps taken to comply with Supreme Court’s directions on removing stray dogs from public spaces in the city.A bench of Justices Dinesh Mehta and Rajneesh Kumar Gupta passed the order in a suo motu case initiated by the high court pursuant to the top court’s directions dated May 19. The bench called for striking a balance between the interests of “dog lovers” and “dog haters”, stating that every day there are cases of dog bites.It also said that monkey menace was an “even more serious” issue, while issuing notices to central govt and National Highways Authority of India, and listed the case on Aug 3.“There are too many stray dogs. Even on the high court premises, we see many dogs wearing collars. Are they trained dogs? Does the high court own them? Are they pets? We don’t know,” one of the judges orally remarked.HC stressed that the issue involved competing concerns, and a balance must be maintained between animal welfare and public safety. “We have to strike a balance. These days there is a big fight between dog lovers and dog haters. The common man is really troubled,” it said.On May 19, Supreme Court directed state govts and Union territories to augment infrastructure to deal with stray dogs and other animals, and asked all the high courts to register a suo motu case to ensure compliance with its Aug 22, 2025, and Nov 7, 2025, directions.The apex court had issued a slew of directions to deal with the “alarming rise” in dog bite incidents within institutional areas such as educational institutions, hospitals and railway stations.While dealing with a suo motu case on the stray dog menace, it had ordered the relocation of stray canines to designated shelters after due sterilisation and vaccination. It also directed the authorities to ensure the removal of all cattle and other stray animals from state highways, national highways and expressways. During the hearing, the court sought details of the measures taken for animal birth control, sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination of stray dogs.