Despite surge in dog bite cases, Kerala govt yet to revive Justice Siri Jagan Committee set up to process compensation claims
Kochi: Despite Kerala reporting a steep rise in dog bite cases, the state govt is yet to take a decision on the resumption of the Justice S Siri Jagan Committee constituted to process compensation claims from victims.
The committee, appointed by the Supreme Court in 2016, had ceased functioning following a 2024 directive from the apex court which clarified that such matters fall under the purview of the high courts.
In a petition filed by the Cultural Academy for Peace in Dec 2024, seeking the continuation of the committee's operations, the Kerala high court had repeatedly directed the state to take an immediate decision. However, each time, the govt responded that the matter was under the state cabinet's consideration.
In the latest hearing before the bench of Justice C S Dias on April 11, the govt pleader submitted that the cabinet's final decision would be placed before the bench after the high court's summer vacation.
The matter was subsequently adjourned to June 23.
Siri Jagan committee
The three-member committee, chaired by Justice S Siri Jagan, was constituted by the Supreme Court in 2016 to address the growing number of stray dog attacks in Kerala and to determine compensation for victims.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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Undo
In 2023, following the Centre's notification of the new Animal Birth Control Rules, the Supreme Court disposed of the matter. However, the apex court did not clarify the future functioning of the committee, leading to a halt in its operations.
As of now, 7,932 petitions are pending before the committee. Since its inception in 2016, the committee has sanctioned compensation claims totalling Rs 8.70 crore.
"As the apex court has disposed of the matter, the committee cannot continue as such without a directive from the state govt," Justice Siri Jagan told TOI.
He further added that even now, the committee receives two to three fresh petitions daily from stray dog attack victims.
Current scenario
The state has reported 13 rabies deaths so far this year, compared to 22 in the whole of 2024. In three of the four recent rabies deaths, the victims had received the rabies vaccine after being bitten by dogs. In 2024, 3.16 lakh dog bite cases were reported in the state, a notable rise from the 1.35 lakh in 2017. Among the districts, Thiruvananthapuram (50,870 cases) recorded the highest dog bite cases last year, followed by Kollam (37,618) and Ernakulam (32,086).
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