Important cases heard by Supreme Court on Aug 22

Important cases heard by the Supreme Court on Friday, August 22: * SC modified its direction prohibiting the release of vaccinated stray dogs from pounds in Delhi-NCR calling it "too harsh" and ordered the canines to be released post sterilisation and de-worming.

* SC directed the Election Commission of India (ECI) to allow excluded voters to submit claims through online mode besides making physical submissions in the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise of electoral roll in poll-bound Bihar.

* SC protected from arrest The Wire's founding editor Siddharth Varadarajan and Consulting Editor Karan Thapar in connection with an FIR registered by Assam Police against them over a news article.

* SC ordered status quo till August 25 in the Sambhal mosque row and issued notice to the Hindu petitioners.

* SC said a "blanket direction" to pick up stray dogs in Delhi-NCR and place them in shelters without evaluating the existing infrastructure might lead to a "catch-22 situation" as the directive might be impossible to comply with.

* Feeding of stray dogs will not be permitted on streets, SC ruled as it directed the municipal authorities of Delhi-NCR to create dedicated spaces for it.

* SC said aggressive sterilisation would put a curb on the rapid growth of stray dog population which would ultimately lead to reduction in their numbers.

* SC asked "dog lovers" and NGOs, which moved against the order of permanent relocation of strays in Delhi-NCR, to deposit Rs 25,000 and Rs 2 lakh, respectively, within a week for being heard in the matter.

* SC agreed to hear a plea for directions to restrain persons, organisations and others from making "unverified public statements" about the case of Indian nurse and murder accused Nimisha Priya who is on death row in Yemen.

* Observing high courts ought to act as "parents" for their judicial officers, SC asked the Jharkhand HC to either allow a single parent woman judicial officer to either remain in Hazaribagh or be transferred to Bokaro keeping in mind her son's upcoming Class 12 exams.

* SC stayed an order of the Madhya Pradesh HC, directing FIR and constitution of the special investigation team (SIT) to probe the allegations against Congress MLA Arif Masood, who is accused of running a college on the basis of forged documents.

* SC refused to urgently list for hearing an interim plea challenging mandatory registration of all waqfs, including waqf-by-users under the UMEED portal. PTI ABA ABA HIG HIG