Stray dog bite: Punjab, Haryana HC rules Rs 10,000/tooth mark compensation

The court held the state' primarily responsible' for paying compensation to people in incidents involving stray animals

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that in cases involving dog bites, financial assistance shall be at a minimum of Rs 10,000 per tooth mark and a minimum of Rs 20,000 per 0.2 cm of wound, reported The Indian Express.

Holding the state "primarily responsible" for paying compensation to people in incidents involving stray animals, the court dismissed a slew of 193 petitions. It also directed Punjab and Haryana, as well as the Union Territory of Chandigarh, to form committees chaired by the deputy commissioners of respective districts to assess such compensation.

"The award shall be passed by the committees within a period of four months of the claims being filed before it along with the requisite documents... The state shall be primarily responsible for paying compensation, with a right to recover the same from the defaulting agencies or instrumentalities of the state or private persons, if any," said the court.

The court further directed that copies of the judgement be submitted to the offices of the Principal Secretary (Home) and the Directors General of Police of Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh for immediate action and compliance.

The high court was hearing a slew of petitions dealing with the payment of compensation to victims or their family members for occurrences and accidents caused by a stray, wild animal suddenly appearing in front of a vehicle, resulting in injury or death. The occurrences took place in Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh on state and national highways, municipal streets and roads, and streets and roads outside municipal bounds.

During the hearing, a bench led by Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj found that a rising number of fatalities and an alarming rate of stray animals on roads—a direct outcome of state policy implementation without effect assessment and infrastructure building—have begun to take a toll on human life.

"It is thus essential that the state should now share the burden and shoulder the responsibility," the judge said.

"Notwithstanding that such a large number of cases are being reported and even instituted before the courts, the state has shown no inclination to address the issue. They have chosen to look the other way, as people suffer injuries every day and underplay the magnitude of the problem by underrecording the incidents. The denial of the existence of a problem does not redress the problem but only escalates the agony of the citizen," he added.

The bench further directed the Director General of Police (DGP) of Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh to issue appropriate instructions to the authorities with regard to the guidelines framed.