In cities across the country, the feral animals are both loved and feared. The judges are forging into intensely emotional territory by going after the ones in the capital.

India's top court ordered authorities in the capital Delhi and its suburbs on Monday to relocate all stray dogs to shelters within eight weeks, according to the Live Law website, after media reports of a rise in cases of rabies,

Days after the Supreme Court directed relocation of stray dogs from residential areas in Delhi-NCR to shelters, Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh met with animal lovers on Wednesday, assuring them that the process will be humane and in a phased manner.