The distribution of free vaccines and medications for dog bites would end until a system is put in place and measures are taken to regulate the stray dog issue, according to the Kerala High Court.
The Kerala High Court ordered Government hospitals to offer free medical care and required free vaccinations to anyone who has been bitten by dogs till state machinery is put in place to address the growing stray dog problem in the State.
Additionally, a division bench of Justices AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Gopinath P ordered the tranquilization and containment of the dogs that are thought to be rabid.
The court made it plain that, once the government develops and implements a strategy to address the problem, free medical treatment would be discontinued.
The State Police sent a circular advising individual not to break the law by poisoning or killing stray dogs, the court noted, in accordance with its earlier ruling.
The court further stated that animal shelters must be established and that it will concentrate on this particular issue in the subsequent hearing.
The State government was required to provide a report on the measures it intends to take, including for detecting, confining, and removing violent canines from public locations, under the court’s earlier ruling, which instructed the State to do so.
The Court stated that it will hold weekly hearings for whatever long it is necessary in order to track the execution of its orders.
The Court stated that the State government’s decision, which is comprehensive and answers the issues, for the time being, responds to Advocate Vikram Chandravanshi of the Animal Welfare Board of India‘s (AWBI) concerns over the general public’s attitude.
When questioned about Kudumbashree’s request to the AWBI for authorization to perform animal birth control (ABC) treatments, the attorney said the case will be investigated and the necessary steps will be taken quickly.
Upon hearing news reports about the alleged cruel and inhumane killing of Bruno, a beloved labrador dog, by three youths on the Adimalathura beach in Thiruvananthapuram, the court made the rulings in a public interest lawsuit (PIL) it had started in July 2021 over animal cruelty.
As a result, the case was later renamed “In Re: Bruno (Suo Moto Public Interest Litigation Proceedings commenced by the High Court in the subject of executive and legislative inactivity of the State Government in the area of Protection of Animal Rights)” by the court.
The bench has been meeting regularly to address the problem ever since reports of dog attacks in the state began to rise along with media coverage of certain unfortunate instances that resulted in both human and animal fatalities.
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