Punjab & Haryana High Court recently ruled compensations in cases related to Dog Bites. Disposing of a bunch of 193 pleas, the Punjab & Haryana High Court also clarified that the State will be responsible for compensation in case of stray dog bites. Apart from this, the High Court also specified that the compensation will differ depending upon the wounds a person has suffered. For instance, the court ruled that the financial assistance shall be at a minimum of Rs 10,000 per tooth mark and where the flesh has been pulled off the skin, it shall be a minimum of Rs 20,000 per 0.2 cm of wound.
Furthermore, the Court ordered the states of Punjab and Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh to constitute committees chaired by the Deputy Commissioners of respective districts to determine such compensation.
A bench of Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj was quoted saying, "The award shall be passed by the committees within a period of four months of the claims being filed before it along with requisite documents…The State shall be primarily responsible to pay compensation with a right to recover the same from the defaulting agencies/ instrumentalities of the State or the private person, if any."
Guidelines for Police in accidents due to animals
Notably, the court also issued guidelines for the Police to follow in case of an accident or incident due to the involvement of animals (stray/wild/pet or deserted). Justice Bhardwaj stated, "On receipt of information regarding accident due to stray/wild animal, the station house officer (SHO) shall get a DDR (daily diary report) recorded without any undue delay. The police officer shall verify the claim made and record statements of witnesses and prepare the site plan and summary. A copy of the report be forwarded to the claimant".
Chandigarh dog breeds ban
It is pertinent to mention here that a few months back, a proposal was made to ban six dog breeds in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. The breeds were- American Bulldog, American Pitbull, Bull Terrier, Cane Corso, Dogo Argentino, and Rottweiler. The proposed amendment banned people of Chandigarh from owning these particular dog breeds as pets. However, if found possessing the banned breeds, the owners will face action for violation of dog bylaws and the pet will also be seized with immediate effect.
The amended dog bylaws further proposed to charge a Rs 10,000 fine for each bylaw violation through water bill/property tax.
Talking about banned dog breeds, it was proposed that it will not be applicable to canines registered with the MC before the commencement of these bylaws. Such dogs will, however, be required to be muzzled and leashed at all times during walks, to avoid any untoward accident. The owners are also advised to get such dogs trained through MC-registered trainers.