Yesterday, a writ petition was submitted to the Telangana High Court urging for effective enforcement of the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2001, and advocating for compensation to be provided to the families of two children who were recently bitten by stray dogs.

The counsel on record emphasized the importance of compensation while presenting her petition, yet she also advocated for the comprehensive implementation of the Animal Rules. This encompasses not only sterilization but also vaccination, aiming to prevent similar mishaps from happening in the future.

The Court was informed that individuals who have tragically succumbed to dog bites did not perish directly from the bite itself but rather from contracting rabies. Highlighting this fact, one of the families involved in the current lawsuit seeking compensation tragically lost their child to rabies after he was bitten by a street dog.

Advocate P. Sree Ramya pointed to the exemplary case of the Nilgiris District in Tamil Nadu, where no instances of human rabies have been reported in the last 14 years. She also highlighted that Goa has recently declared itself a "Rabies Controlled Area." According to her, these achievements were attributed to the diligent enforcement of the Rules.

Furthermore, it was underscored that the enforcement of the rules should commence at the gram panchayat level, where there is often less awareness about the disease. Justice T. Vinod Kumar, presiding over the petition, acknowledged that a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking similar relief had been filed in 2023. He directed that the current writ be consolidated with the earlier one for further consideration.

Interestingly, the counsel on record has filed another writ petition requesting the appointment of nodal officers for the Animal Welfare Board, specifically advocating that these officers should not hold a rank lower than an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP). This measure aims to ensure effective handling of issues related to animal cruelty reported under the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

Case no. WP11611 of 2024, WP 9261 of 2024