- Monday, March 10, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
The Supreme Court of India on Friday (9) said people who routinely feed stray dogs could be held responsible for their vaccination and liable to bear the expenses if those animals attack other people. The apex court’s view came while emphasising on the need to find a solution to stray dog menace.
While a Bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and JK Maheshwari was hearing petitions in connection to stray dog menace in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Justice Khanna said that he is a dog lover and suggested that people who feed stray dogs could possibly keep a number of marking on the dog they give food to, Indo-Asian News Service reported.
“They will be responsible for vaccinating them and bearing the cost if a person is attacked,” he said.
The Bench also said that it is important to find a solution to the menace and create a balance between people who feed the stray dogs and protect innocent people from being attacked by such animals.
It also observed that it is important to accept that there is a problem — dogs may become ferocious because of lack of food and they may get infected. It also said that dogs infected by rabies could be put in a care centre by concerned authorities.
Last month, advocate VK Baiju submitted that people are being attacked by ferocious dogs in public places. He recently raised the issue before the top court and highlighted the death of a 12-year-old in Kerala recently in a dog attack.
The counsel representing the state government cited a judgment passed by the Kerala High Court in 2015 to cull stray dogs as per local body laws.
The court also asked the Sri Jagan Commission, formed by the Supreme Court in 2016 to look into complaints about dog attacks and distribution of compensation to victims in the southern state, to submit a report.
After hearing arguments, the Supreme Court scheduled the matter for another hearing on September 28, and allowed animal rights groups to intervene.
