The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has recently issued a notice to the Ladakh government after taking suo motu cognizance of an increase in stray dog bite incidents.
The bench of Chief Justice N Kotiswar Singh and Justice Sanjay Dhar issued the notice to several authorities, including the Legal Service Authority, through its member secretary, and ordered them to file their responses within two weeks.
Tahir Majid Shamsi, Deputy Solicitor General of India (DSGI), assisted by Rehana Qayoom, accepted the notice on behalf of all respondents except the Ladakh Legal Services Authority.
“The PIL has been taken up suo moto by this Court upon certain facts being brought to the attention of the Chief Justice of this Court, wherein it has been highlighted that the registered dog bite cases in Ladakh have exponentially increased from 854 in 2017 to 2229 in 2022, and approximately 220 people were reportedly bitten by dogs in January, 2023 alone,” the Court observed.
The Court stated that the growing number of registered dog bite cases has caused fear psychosis not only among the local population but also among visitors, and that the dogs were also attacking wild herbivores.
The matter is listed for further consideration on April 19, 2023.
