Dogbite victims to get Rs 10K for ‘each teeth mark’

The state shall be primarily responsible to pay compensation with a right to recover the same from the defaulting agencies/ instrumentalities of the state and/or the private person, if any

Chandigarh: In a significant ruling, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday directed that the state government shall be primarily responsible for paying compensation to victims of dog bites, adding that the minimum financial assistance would be Rs 10,000 per tooth mark.

"When the flesh is removed from the skin, the compensation will be at least Rs 20,000 per 0.2 cm wound," the court ruled. The ruling came during a hearing on a batch of petitions pertaining to dog bite incidents.

Disposing of a batch of 193 petitions, the High Court also mandated the governments of Punjab and Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh to set up committees headed by the deputy commissioners of the respective districts to determine such compensation.

"The award should be issued by the committees within four months of the filing of the claims along with the necessary documents... The state shall be primarily responsible to pay compensation with a right to recover the same from the defaulting agencies/ instrumentalities of the state and/or the private person, if any," a single bench of Justice Vinod S Bharadwaj ruled.

The ruling assumes significance at a time when dog bite cases have been on the rise across the country.