KOCHI: Expressing concern over the increase in dog bite cases and human deaths due to suspected rabies in the state, the Kerala High Court said on Monday, “First preference is for man to walk on the road, not the other way around.”
Justice C S Dias told a lawyer, who represents animal lovers, “Only when you get bitten by a dog will you know the real pain, or once you lose someone. Will give you all the dogs, and you take care of them. Further, give a solution to end the menace. I have to walk on the road, and I don’t want to be terrorised. This year alone, there are one lakh cases with 16 deaths.”
The court accepted the state government’s suggestion to constitue a committee at the District Legal Services Authority level to consider all complaints, including those for compensation, in this connection.
The court urged the state to introduce a legislation for establishing a permanent body to deal with the matter effectively. It issued the order on a batch of petitions about dog bite incidents.
“This is an alarming situation — the number of stray dogs is increasing day by day. If a human attacks an animal, it is considered an offence; however, if an animal attacks a human, the custodian is held responsible. In this context, the custodian is the LSGD secretary. People should be able to walk in peace, and something must be done,” the High Court stated.