The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear the case regarding stray dogs in Kerala on July 12, 2023.
The request was made due to two recent incidents of stray dog attacks on children.
The Kannur District Panchayat (KDP) filed an application seeking the urgent listing of the case, which was brought before a bench headed by Justice Surya Kant.
The bench was informed that a 9-year-old girl named Janviy was attacked by three stray dogs in front of her neighbor’s house. Prior to this, another incident involved the unfortunate death of a differently-abled child resulting from an attack by stray dogs, as stated by the applicant.
“Very unfortunate, but this matter has been pending,” the bench remarked.
The Court accepted the case and proceeded with the proceedings. Additionally, the Court issued a notice regarding the matter and instructed that a counter affidavit be submitted by July 7. The scheduled hearing for the case is set for July 12. In the application filed by the Kannur Panchayat, represented by advocate Biju P, recent video footage of stray dog attacks was requested to be included as evidence.
“There are large numbers of dog attacks across the District especially against children,” the plea stated.
Earlier this month, a tragic incident occurred in Kannur where an 11-year-old autistic child named Nihal lost his life after being attacked by stray dogs. This incident highlights the gravity of the issue at hand.
The main case being dealt with challenges a 2006 judgment of the Kerala High Court, which granted local self-government institutions the authority to eliminate stray dogs. The Supreme Court, on June 13, declined to urgently list another similar application that was brought up during the vacations, as mentioned by advocate VK Biju.
Various High Courts are currently handling cases related to the welfare and regulation of stray dogs. In July 2022, the Jammu & Kashmir High Court had sought information regarding the population of stray dogs and the anti-rabies efforts being undertaken in the Union Territory.
Last September, the Apex Court orally suggested that the Kerala government should strive to find a middle ground in addressing the stray dog issue, taking into account both public safety concerns and the rights of animals.
In response to this, the Kerala High Court directed government hospitals to provide free medical care and necessary vaccines to victims of dog bites until the state establishes a robust mechanism to tackle the increasing problem of stray dogs.
Furthermore, in April,2023, the Bombay High Court directed a residential society in Mumbai to address complaints by its members against security guards who employ intimidating or harmful tactics, such as using sticks, against animals.
