New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed only "irretrievably ill or mortally wounded" stray dogs to be put down in a "humane manner" and asked all states and union territories to go by the central rules on the issue.

Maintaining that a "balance between compassion for animals and human lives" has to be struck, a bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh said the "life of a dog is not more important than the life of a human being. ... Life is the glorious gift of nature and the compassion for animals and human lives should harmoniously co-exist."