Stray Cattle Are 'An Invitation to Death': Supreme Court Orders Compensation, Accountability
New Delhi: Expressing concern over the rise in fatal accidents due to stray cattle roaming on highways, the Supreme Court on Friday (July 31) asked the Union and state governments to compensate victims and implement laws governing such cattle. A bench of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice N. Kotiswar Singh noted the rise in fatalities due to animal attacks from 1,130 in 2018 to 1,305 in 2020 and said their owners must be held responsible for what happens to their cattle when they no longer serve an economic purpose, reports the Tribune.
The case relates to a stray cattle causing death in Punjab's Sangrur in 2007, in which the Bench awarded a Rs 15 lakh compensation to the victim's wife on Friday. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had set aside an earlier order granting compensation in the case, which the Supreme Court reversed.
The court remarked that in a "deeply flawed, human world", animals are abandoned after their utility diminishes, even as society simultaneously finds it offensive when they are used for food, describing this contradiction as one that has contributed to the present problem, reports Live Law.
As per the 20th Livestock Census released in 2019 by the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, India has over two crore stray dogs and cows (cattle). Most other bovines, such as buffalo, are not barred from slaugther in states, which has kept the population under control as well as made the cost of rearing manageable for farmers and dairyists.
| State | Deaths due to stray animals in 2018 | Deaths due to stray animals in 2019 | Deaths due to stray animals in 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | 31 | 25 | 32 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Assam | 77 | 90 | 100 |
| Bihar | 10 | 15 | 11 |
| Chhattisgarh | 91 | 109 | 95 |
| Goa | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Gujarat | 42 | 61 | 55 |
| Haryana | 25 | 35 | 23 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 9 | 33 | 9 |
| Jharkhand | 57 | 41 | 41 |
| Karnataka | 53 | 61 | 59 |
| Kerala | 24 | 30 | 32 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 78 | 102 | 103 |
| Maharashtra | 150 | 180 | 163 |
| Odisha | 79 | 112 | 94 |
| Punjab | 16 | 34 | 42 |
| Rajasthan | 75 | 136 | 65 |
| Tamil Nadu | 60 | 80 | 112 |
| Telangana | 15 | 12 | 24 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 138 | 169 | 162 |
| Uttarakhand | 24 | 13 | 22 |
| West Bengal | 67 | 77 | 55 |
| Total | 1128 | 1422 | 1303 |
“The reality of animals being let go after they cease to serve a useful economic purpose cannot be denied. The owners choosing to make such a decision should be held responsible and ensure safe transfer of such animals to the shelters run by the appropriate authority," said Justice Karol.
He also pointed out that stray cattle on the highways were a “constant invitation to death” and that they were “not meant to be natural speed breakers, placed willy-nilly on national highways, roads and streets”.
The Bench said a coordinated policy response from governments was needed to the growing incidents, rather than their being treated as isolated incidents. The suggestions it made, reported by Live Law, include states with cattle laws to ensure their full implementation or amend the laws or frame rules to compensate for accidents caused by stray cattle. Secondly, all cattle are to be tagged to enable tracking, veterinary care and vaccination records.
Third, the court said that owners abandoning unproductive animals should remain responsible for their safe transfer to authorised shelters and that the shelters must record these transfers through receipts and tagging databases. Finally, governments must appoint nodal officers to oversee tagging of all heads of cattle, digitisation of records and management of cattle shelters.
In 2022, the Union government had announced that the management of public health, sanitation and cattle pounds comes under the purview of state or Union Territory governments and that "the local bodies need to evolve the mechanism to control stray animals in order to protect the citizens". It also released data on deaths caused by animals by state (1,303).
The next cattle census was announced in 2024 but is still delayed. The previous census showed that the total livestock population in the country had increased by 4.5%, while there had been a 6% decline in the population of indigenous varieties, which the anti-cow slaughter laws were initially supposed to conserve. The rate of their decline had slowed compared to 2007-12, the last census said.
While the cow and buffalo population increased by around 1% each (also over 2012), the total cow and buffalo population grew 6%, indicating an increase in non-productive cattle and buffalo. Goats and sheep increased by double digits. Poultry (mostly hens) grew 45%.
Ordinarily, the cattle/bovine population is concentrated in rural areas (over 95%), however, the 2019 cattle census showed their population grew in urban areas by a massive 11.9% in urban areas, and record a slower growth of 4.5% in rural areas. The much-delayed census is now likely to be released in June
This article went live on August first, two thousand twenty six, at thirty minutes past one in the afternoon.The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
