The Supreme Court on September 5 agreed to list urgently, on September 9, a plea to take stock of Kerala government's measures, if any, to leash stray dog menace in the State.
Making an oral mentioning before Chief Justice of India U. U. Lalit, advocate V. K. Biju said school children, daily wagers and women bear the brunt of the menace. A 12-year-old victim, he said, was struggling for her life. "Kerala has become dogs' own country," Mr. Biju submitted.
The lawyer asked the court to summon the latest status report of a committee headed by former Kerala High Court judge, Justice S. Srijagan, which was formed by the apex court in 2016 to hear dog-bite victims, check the gravity of their injuries and keep an eagle eye over the available treatment and facilities for them. He said the State has seen 10 lakh stray dog attacks in the past five years.
The Kerala government had, in an affidavit in 2018, said that treating dog bites in the State was actually free and government hospitals did not charge the victims. The State had informed that money for payment of dog-bite compensations go from the local self-government bodies’ coffers.
Besides, the State had grudged how “animal lovers” shot down its novel idea to have “stray dog parks” in every district.
