In a move that signals judicial impatience with the unchecked chaos of stray animals, the Rajasthan High Court has taken it upon itself to address a crisis that’s been quietly worsening across the State—soaring dog bite cases and the daily dangers posed by stray cows and dogs on public roads.
The numbers are grim. Dog bite incidents in Rajasthan have surged alarmingly: 88,029 in 2022, 1,03,533 in 2023, and a staggering 1,40,543 already logged for 2024. Just this January, over 15,000 bites were recorded. And it’s not just about bites—deaths from road accidents involving stray animals crossed 185 in 2018 alone. No consolidated data has emerged from the State government since.
Taking a hard look at these statistics, a Division Bench comprising Justices Kuldeep Mathur and Ravi Chirania pulled no punches. “Stray dogs and cows are no longer a mere nuisance—they’re a menace,” the Court remarked, citing the growing peril on both urban streets and National Highways. “The issue now touches the very question of public safety.”
The judges pointed to reports presented in the Lok Sabha and noted that while many citizens keep dogs and cows as pets, responsibility often falls by the wayside. “While conscientious pet owners vaccinate and manage their animals, too many others simply abandon them, turning public spaces into danger zones.”
The Court raised a pointed query: whatever became of the Rajasthan Road Safety Bill, 2022—a proposed legislation that, on paper at least, aimed to tackle this very problem? Answers have been demanded.
Treating the matter with the urgency it deserves, the Court has now formally registered it as a Public Interest Litigation. The first hearing is set for August 11. Senior legal experts have been appointed to assist the Court and are expected to submit a comprehensive report on the issue.
With both Central and State governments now roped in, this judicial intervention could be the beginning of overdue accountability in a state where the roads are fast becoming battlegrounds between people and neglected animals.
