Officials warn that this gap leaves a dangerous grey area between pets and strays, opening the door to disputes and misuse of the complaint system

The court expressed concerns over rising "menace of dog bites leading to rabies" and gave an eight-week deadline to officials to finish the task. Delhi's stray dog population is estimated at one million, with suburban Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram also seeing a rise, municipal sources say.

About 15 animal rights activists were detained and taken to a nearby police station after a scuffle broke out between the agitators and the police.