Kerala High Court Forms Panel to Tackle Stray Dog Attacks, Calls for Humane, Lawful Action

The Kerala High Court has intervened over rising incidents of stray dog attacks, observing that “both humans and animals should co‑exist.”

The court accepted the state’s proposal to constitute an interim committee (comprising officials from DLSA, medical, and local self-government departments) to address the issue.

The court directed the government to submit an affidavit detailing the number of attacks, deaths, and compensation paid over the past year, and proposed considering the inclusion of such incidents under the Disaster Management Act.

The court ruled out euthanising healthy dogs, stressing sterilisation, vaccination, and the need for long-term legislative solutions to manage the issue.

[Keerthana Sarin v State of Kerala and Connected Cases]