SC curbs Delhi stray-dog order; vaccines and return to same locality

India's Supreme Court on Friday scaled back an earlier directive ordering the wholesale removal of stray dogs from the streets of Delhi and its suburbs, ruling that animals picked up by authorities must be vaccinated, sterilised, dewormed and returned to the same locality unless they show signs of rabies or aggressive behaviour. The revised order also directs municipal bodies to set up designated feeding spaces in each ward and restricts unregulated feeding on public streets.

The modification reverses an August 11 ruling that had required captured animals be placed in shelters, a decision that provoked protests from animal welfare groups, activists and sections of the public who said Delhi lacks the shelter capacity to house the citys large street dog population. The court said states and union territories must comply with the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, and impleaded them in the matter as it works toward a uniform national policy on stray dog management, officials said.

The earlier shelter order prompted widespread alarm among animal lovers. "Everyone was praying," said Sonali Kalra, an activist, after the revised ruling. Proponents of the modified approach argue it...