The tug-of-war over India’s stray dog crisis has moved closer to New Delhi’s steps. The Kerala High Court, acting on the Supreme Court’s recent call to centralize all pending dog-related cases, has ordered its Registrar General to pack up the pile of petitions on public safety and policy matters and ship them to the apex bench.
But not everything is leaving Kochi. The High Court made it clear that individual claims for compensation—citizens seeking redress for injuries and loss from dog bites—will remain on its docket. Those human stories of pain, scars, and damages are still to be weighed and decided locally.
The move follows the Supreme Court’s directive from August 22, which sought to consolidate stray dog litigation under its own gaze, reflecting the gravity of balancing animal rights with public safety. By dividing the cases—policy up north, personal battles at home—the Kerala court has carved out a split path forward in one of the country’s most emotionally charged legal sagas.
