Stray Dog Bite: Punjab & Haryana High Court Orders Minimum Rs.10,000 Compensation Per Tooth Mark, Issues Guidelines To Curb Menace

By: Pune Pulse

November 15, 2023

Pune: According to a ruling by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, financial aid for dog bite cases must include at least Rs 10,000 for each tooth mark and Rs 20,000 for every 0.2 cm of wound.

As per further information, the court disposed of 193 petitions, holding the state government primarily responsible for compensating individuals in situations involving stray animals. In order to evaluate this kind of compensation, it further instructed Punjab, Haryana, and the Chandigarh Union Territory to set up committees led by the deputy commissioners of their respective districts.

The High Court said that the committees would make the decision and approve the award within four months of the claims and necessary paperwork being submitted to them. The court declared that the state would be the primary payer of compensation, with the right to recoup it from any private parties or state agencies that fail to pay.

In addition, the court ordered copies of the ruling to be sent to the Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh directors general of police as well as the principal secretary (home) for prompt action and compliance.

The High Court was considering several petitions about the payment of damages to individuals or their families who had been injured or killed in incidents and accidents where a stray or wild animal had unexpectedly appeared in front of a moving car. The incidents happened on municipal streets and roads, state and federal highways, and streets and roads outside of municipalities in Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh.

A bench led by Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj discovered during the hearing that human life is starting to suffer as a result of an alarming rate of stray animals on roads and an increase in fatalities, which are the direct results of state policy implementation without effect assessment and infrastructure building.

The judge stated that it is therefore imperative that the state now share the load and shoulder the responsibility. The state has shown no desire to address the issue, even though a sizable number of cases are being reported and even brought before the courts. Even though people sustain injuries daily and the number of incidents is underreported, they have chosen to turn a blind eye. Denying a problem’s existence does not make it go away; on the contrary, it makes the citizen’s suffering worse.

The bench also ordered the Director General of Police (DGP) of Chandigarh, Haryana, and Punjab to give the authorities the proper instructions regarding the guidelines that were formulated.

Shreyas Vange