31.07.2025 SUO MOTO HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE KULDEEP MATHUR HON’BLE MR. JUSTICE RAVI CHIRANIA ***

1. This Court yesterday i.e. on 30.7.2025 came across news items published in Rajasthan Patrika, Jodhpur Edition, a perusal whereof reveals that atleast two incidents of stray dog bite in last one week at various places in Rajasthan were recorded. These are just two news reports published in newspaper, however, there are many such unpublished incidents of the same kind and more severe in nature also.

2. This Court finds that not only Rajasthan Patrika, Jodhpur Edition but two other Hindi local newspaper, namely, Dainik Bhaskar and Dainik Navjyoti have also reported such incidents on regular basis. As a matter of fact, on 30.7.2025, the local Hindi newspaper Dainik Bhaskar published certain figures regarding dog bite, which is based on a report published by the Press Information Bureau, which is further based on the information given by Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairy in Lok Sabha.

3. The report as published by the Press Information Bureau gives alarming figures regarding dog bite cases in India. The said data reflects dog bite cases reported in State of Rajasthan for the period between January, 2022 to December, 2024 and also in the month of January, 2025. The figures as noted by us from the report are reproduced as under :-

DOG BITE CASES REPORTED BY STATES/UTS AT IDSP (FROM 2022-25)

State/UT 2022 2023 2024 2025 (Jan-Dec) (Jan-Dec) (Jan-Dec) (January)

Andhra Pradesh 192360 212146 245174 23180 Assam 39919 94945 166232 20900 Bihar 141926 241827 263930 34442 Gujarat 169363 278537 392837 53942 Karnataka 163356 232715 361494 39437 Kerala 4000 71606 115046 11649 Madhya Pradesh 66018 113499 142948 16710 Maharashtra 393020 472790 485345 56538 Odisha 65396 92848 166792 24478 Rajasthan 88029 103533 140543 15062 Tamil Nadu 364435 441796 480427 48931 Uttar Pradesh 191361 229921 164009 20478

4. This Court further finds that the stray dogs and cows have created menace not only on the city roads but also on State & National Highways, which declares these roads as highly unsafe for the citizens. The incidents due to stray dogs, cows and other such animals have increased immensely.

5. The Government of Rajasthan in the year 2018 published a report containing data of ten years from 2009-2010 to 2018. The data specifically contains figures regarding the deaths caused in the State of Rajasthan due to stray animals, which are more than 185 in the year 2018. Though the accidents are increasing day by day due to stray animals but the consolidated data has not been reported by the State Government after the year 2018.

6. In our Society, dogs and cows are the common pets and also they are the common stray animals on road and that too in big numbers due to their uncontrolled growth. A large section of Society loves to have dogs either as a pet in their homes or feed them on regular basis because of personal attachment to these animals or under religious belief. There are two segments in the Society; one which loves to have them in their houses or in and around and the other due to fear or absence of attachment or even otherwise did not like them in the society.

7. As far as having a pet dog, the owner is responsible for his control and safety while ensuring that it may not cause any harm to the people. The pet lovers also go for a regular vaccination and other precautions for not only safety of the pet but also of the people around them. But not all of them having a dog as pet in their houses are discharging their pious obligation of maintaining them properly and, therefore, they are found abandoned on the road, which causes menace in the society.

8. This Court is seriously concerned about safety and well being of the citizens, therefore, we cannot allow not only our city roads, State and National Highways unsafe on account of public menace created by stray animals, which includes dogs and cows but also sheep, buffaloes, goats and camels etc.

9. The Gov