India’s Supreme Court modified its order on stray dogs on Friday, directing that those picked up from streets in and around Delhi be released after sterilisation and immunisation, after a storm of protests from animal lovers.

Earlier this month, the court ruled that all stray dogs in Delhi and its suburbs be moved to shelters following a surge in dog bites and cases of rabies. Critics of the ruling had said it could not be implemented because there were not enough shelters.

Many animal lovers took to the streets to protest against the order. Animal rights activists signed online petitions asking the court to revoke its decision. The court ruling also drew criticism from politicians and celebrities.

India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi called it a “step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy”.

On Friday, the court said that dogs picked up in the past few weeks in Delhi and its suburbs would be released after sterilisation and immunisation, barring those showing aggressive behaviour or signs of rabies infection.

Former federal minister and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi told ANI news agency that she was happy with the “scientific decision” of relocating dogs back to their area. The court has not clarified what “an aggressive dog” is and this remains a grey area, she added.

In April, the government said nearly 430,000 cases of dog bites were reported nationwide in January, against 3.7 million cases in all of 2024.

India has 52.5m stray dogs, a survey of homeless pets by Mars Petcare has shown, with 8m canines in shelters. Media reports suggest Delhi alone has 1m stray dogs. Reuters could not independently verify the figure.

To curb public feeding of stray dogs, the court also directed the setting-up of designated zones.

A three-judge panel of the court said the scope of the case would be expanded across India and the court would formulate a uniform policy for all stray dogs soon.

“On behalf of the community dogs we serve, we thank the three-judge bench for its decision,” animal rights group PETA India said on Friday, urging people to adopt dogs and support sterilisation efforts.