Dog-bite victims to get 10,000 rupees in Indian state

In a rare judgement, India’s Punjab and Haryana High Court ruled that the State shall be “primarily responsible” to pay financial compensation in cases of attacks by stray animals such as dogs and cattle.

The ruling came amid debate on stray dog menace in India after the death of 49-year-old entrepreneur Parag Desai – who succumbed to brain hemorrhage following an attack by stray dogs outside his residence last month.

“The State shall be primarily responsible to pay compensation with a right to recover the same from the defaulting Agencies/ Instrumentalities of the State and/or the private person, if any,” the High Court said.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court was hearing a bunch of 193 petitions relating to attacks by stray animals.

Regarding dog bite incidents, the court stipulated that the compensation should be a minimum of “INR 10,000 for each tooth mark” and a “minimum of INR20,000 for every 0.2 cm of wound” where the flesh had been torn off.

In its order, the court also directed the government to form a committee to deal with such cases.

“The said Committee shall be comprised of Deputy Commissioner of the concerned District as its Chairperson and shall have the following member (a) Superintendent of Police/Deputy Superintendent of Police (Traffic), (b) Sub Divisional Magistrate of the concerned area, (c) The District Transport Officer, (d) Representative of the Chief Medical Officer,” the High Court said in its judgement.

Parag Desai, executive director of Wagh Bakri Tea Group, succumbed to brain hemorrhage after he suffered injuries following an attack by stray dogs.

Soon after the tragic incident, a section of social media users demanded urgent steps to tackle the stray dog problem, pointing to multiple cases of deaths and injuries, including to children, in animal attacks.