Compensation for dog bite cases:In Kerala HC, state proposes setting up district-level committees | Kochi News

Kochi: The state govt has submitted a proposal before high court to constitute district-level committees for handling dog bite compensation cases, in place of the Justice Siri Jagan Committee, which ceased functioning following a 2024 directive from the Supreme Court.As per the proposal, each district-level committee would consist of the district legal services authority (DLSA) secretary, district medical officer (DMO) and joint director of local self-govt department (LSGD). The suggestion came in response to a batch of petitions seeking HC’s intervention to curb stray dog attack incidents.The bench of Justice C S Dias accepted the state’s suggestion and directed the govt to file a counter-affidavit detailing the estimated stray dog population in Kerala, the actual statistics of dog bite incidents and deaths, the number of local self-govt institutions (LSGIs) in the state and the extent to which they have implemented the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023.HC also asked whether stray dog attacks could be brought within the purview of the State Disaster Management Act, similar to wild animal attacks, at least for the purpose of paying compensation. The bench impleaded the state police chief in the matter, seeking details such as how many FIRs have been registered in connection with dog bite incidents. It was observed that when an animal attacks a human, the custodian is held responsible, and in case of stray dogs, the LSGD secretary would be treated as the custodian.During hearing, the court noted that, according to reports, there had been 16 deaths and over one lakh dog bite cases in Kerala in the past six months, and that the stray dog population was said to be around 50 lakh. The court described the situation as very alarming. However, the additional advocate general raised doubts about these figures, claiming that the actual number of stray dogs may be only two to three lakh. The court adjourned the matter to Aug 11.‘Humans and animals must coexist’During hearing, a counsel questioned the implementation of the euthanasia provisions under the ABC Rules, 2023. In response, HC orally asked, “Have you been bitten by a dog? …Last month, a child from Kannur died of rabies despite being vaccinated. Only when you are bitten do you truly understand the pain and the suffering. It is very easy to stand outside and say these things…”The court added that while humans and animals must coexist, a practical solution to the growing problem is essential. It remarked that human rights override animal rights.HC also took note of the apex court, on Monday, initiating suo motu proceedings based on a TOI report regarding the death of a child in Delhi due to rabies.