New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday referred to a media report about a stray dog attack on a foreign national in Bengaluru and said such incidents have not only affected public safety and tourism but also the country’s image globally.
A three-judge special bench comprising justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria referred to the incident in which a Welsh entrepreneur was bitten by a stray dog during a morning run.
“This incident underscores that the menace is neither confined to rural or densely populated localities nor limited to vulnerable citizens, but has assumed proportions that affect public safety, tourism, and the image of the country in the global perspective,” the bench said.
The top court passed a slew of directions in a suo motu case concerning stray dog menace.
It said after Independence, despite significant advances in public health, India continues to report one of the world’s highest statistics of rabies-related mortality. The bench said recognising the need for a humane yet effective framework, the Centre, in exercise of its powers under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, promulgated the Animal Birth Control Rules.
“However, the implementation of these rules has been ineffective, to say the least, across jurisdictions and the persistence of stray dog population has continued to imperil public safety in many parts of the country,” it said.
The bench said educational institutions, particularly schools and colleges with open campuses, have emerged as areas of recurring dog-bite incidents. It said frequency of such incidents reflects deficiencies in institutional responsibility and municipal oversight concerning the safety of educational environments.
The bench said in hospitals and several tertiary-care centres, patients, attendants and staff have been attacked by packs of dogs residing within hospital compounds.
“Ironically, the very institutions entrusted with the treatment of dog-bite victims, have themselves become susceptible to the menace,” it said.
The bench said the continuous inflow of dog-bite victims has strained medical resources, particularly the availability of anti-rabies vaccines and immunoglobulins, which are often in short supply.