JAIPUR: Hours after the Supreme Court order, the High Court in Rajasthan ordered the municipal bodies to ensure the removal of street dogs from public areas and city roads. The municipal officials are provided with the liberty to file a case against anyone obstructing them while performing their duty.

"The Municipal bodies should take a special drive to remove stray dogs from city roads while ensuring no physical harm to the animals,” said a division bench of Justice Kuldeep Mathur and Justice Ravi Chirania.

The court took suo motu cognisance of the case, considering the rising cases of street dog menace in the state, with many dog bite incidents getting reported daily. Earlier, the Supreme Court ordered the Delhi government to initiate work to sterilise dogs and move them to shelter homes.

Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan expressed concern over the lives of infants and children on the streets and bemoaned such incidents repeating in the national capital. Meanwhile, many animal welfare organisations expressed their disapproval of the apex court decision as they called it ineffective and unscientific.