SC appoints committee to submit report on rising dog bite incidents in Kerala

The Supreme Court on Tuesday constituted a committee headed by a retired high court judge to submit a report on the rising incidents of dog bites in Kerala.

The committee to be headed by retired Justice Sirijagan shall entertain the complaints of dog bites, treatment administered to victims, availability of ant-rabies vaccines and cases of unfortunate deaths.

The first report of the commission should be filed in 12 weeks.

The apex court earlier directed all states to sterilise and vaccinate stray dogs under supervision of Animal Welfare Board of India.

The Supreme Court passed interim order on a petition of Animal rights groups against the culling of dogs by some state government.

The apex court said that vaccination and sterilisation should be done according to the rules of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and no animal rights group should interfere in the exercise.

In November 2015, the Supreme Court had allowed the municipal authorities in the country to eliminate stray dogs which are irretrievably ill or mortally wounded.

The apex court is hearing a bunch of pleas including Animal Welfare Board of India's petition to decide the issue of primacy of laws framed by Centre and state governments in this regard.

One of the pleas was filed against Kerala High Court decision approving the decision to cull stray dogs by the Thiruvananthapuram civic body.