The picture is from Jodhpur, about 8 months ago a bull running on the road hit a girl, due to which she was seriously injured.
The Supreme Court has expressed serious concern over accidents caused by stray cattle roaming on roads. The court said animals cannot be left unattended on national highways, roads and streets. “They are not natural speed breakers.”
A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and N Kotiswar Singh on Friday asked the Centre and state governments to frame rules for compensating victims of such accidents. It also suggested amending existing laws and regulations, if required.
₹15 lakh compensation for woman whose husband was killed by stray bull
The court made the observations while hearing a petition filed by Nisha from Sangrur, Punjab. Her husband, Vijay, died on September 21, 2007, after being attacked by a stray bull while walking on a road.
The court directed the Punjab government to pay the woman ₹15 lakh as compensation within four weeks. However, it clarified that the order should not be treated as a precedent for future cases.
Livestock owners responsible for animals throughout their lives
The court said the root cause of the stray cattle problem is that owners abandon animals once they become economically unproductive. Livestock owners cannot limit their responsibility to rearing animals; they are responsible for them throughout their lives.
If they are unable to keep the animals for any reason, they should hand them over to a gaushala or animal shelter instead of abandoning them on the streets. The court observed that society often abandons animals once they lose their utility while opposing alternative uses for them, which also contributes to the problem.
