Court alarmed by “extremely troubling” reports; matter placed before CJI for urgent directions
The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of the growing number of rabies-related deaths caused by stray dog bites, expressing serious concern over the issue after a disturbing report published in the Times of India.
A Bench comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan termed the situation “highly disturbing” and noted that children and the elderly were the most vulnerable to such attacks.
“This is a highly disturbing news report titled ‘City hounded by strays and kids pay price’. It contains extremely troubling details,” the Bench observed while referring to the newspaper article. “There are reports of hundreds of dog bite incidents from both cities and peripheral areas, many of which have led to rabies infections. Ultimately, it is infants and senior citizens who are falling prey to this deadly disease.”
Shocked by the gravity of the situation, the Court directed the Supreme Court registry to treat the matter as a suo motu writ petition and to place it before Chief Justice of India BR Gavai for appropriate directions.
“We are taking suo motu cognisance. The registry has been directed to treat the matter as a suo motu writ petition and place the order along with the news report before the Chief Justice of India for necessary directions,” the Bench stated.
The move comes amid growing nationwide concern over the threat posed by stray dogs, with urban and rural areas alike reporting a surge in bite incidents and rabies-related fatalities.
