'Terrible situation, fear looms across state'; HC raps govt over street dog menace

KOCHI: The High Court, in a sardonic way, expressed fear over surging cases of stray dog attacks in the state.

“There is no guarantee of a person returning home safe without being bitten by a dog on his morning walk. This is a very serious issue. The number of dogs on the streets is increasing at an alarming rate. It should be noted that human rights come before animal rights. Control will be effective only if the police register a case against the local body secretary, who is the custodian of the stray dogs.

The government-suggested euthanasia is barely a solution. It allows killing dogs with chronic diseases and serious injuries. The Supreme Court and the High Court have given guidelines under the ABC Act. It should be implemented effectively.

If a pet harms a human, a case will be filed against the owner. The government should present the number of people bitten, the number of deaths, and the number of stray dogs this year. The police chief should also inform of the number of cases. The next hearing will be held on August 4.”

The court's remarks were made in petitions filed by Keerthana Sarin, a law student from Thiruvananthapuram, demanding control of stray dog nuisance.

According to government numbers, the number of street dogs will reach three lakhs this year. This is not credible. As per court records, there are more than 50 lakh stray dogs currently prowling in the state. The single bench also pointed out the Supreme Court decision to suo motu register a case yesterday for the dog attack on a child in Delhi.