India's Supreme Court directed on Friday the release of stray dogs picked up in Delhi and its suburbs after sterilisation and immunisation, modifying an earlier order and widening the scope of the case to ensure a nationwide policy on such strays.

India's Supreme Court on Friday scaled back its order to catch and remove tens of thousands of stray dogs from the capital, after feasibility questions about the sheer scale of the exercise.

India’s Supreme Court ordered the release of all stray dogs that were removed from New Delhi streets after sterilization and immunization. While many dogs roaming New Delhi’s streets are harmless, the court’s order aimed to control rising cases of biting,