The bare lives of New Delhi: Street dogs at bureaucratic crossroads

This article delves into the complex bureaucratic processes involved in the administration of street dogs in New Delhi during the 2023 G20 summit in India. It applies Giorgio Agamben’s concept of ‘bare life’ to examine the tensions between the legal rights of street dogs and their administrative management, as observed during a temporary dog-removal drive undertaken by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for the summit. This discussion is contextualised within the broader impact of hosting major international events on free-roaming city animals, contributing to the existing literature on human–animal relationships. The argument is premised on the view that in this situation the MCD produces a condition of ‘too much law’ or law in excess, leading to a paradoxical violation of the law itself. Street dogs are rendered as bare life, captured and sustained only by food and water during the event—not by the suspension of animal rights but by its excessive and abrupt implementation. Additionally, the article addresses the broader impact of this bureaucratic intervention on city life.