New Delhi, 13 January (H.S.): The Supreme Court stated on Tuesday that state governments will face substantial fines if an elderly person or child dies from a dog bite due to their inaction. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for January 20.

A bench led by Justice Vikram Nath raised serious concerns over the practice of feeding stray dogs in public spaces during the hearing on stray dog attacks.

The court questioned the accountability of those advocating for such feeding, asserting that if individuals insist on feeding dogs, they should do so at home and keep the animals indoors rather than allowing them to roam streets, spread filth, and attack people.

The bench challenged whether sentiments apply only to dogs and not humans, asking who bears responsibility when a 9-year-old girl is killed by stray dogs. The court specifically questioned whether organizations promoting public feeding of strays should be held accountable for such tragic incidents.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar