A second-year law student, Keerthana Sarin, has approached the Kerala High Court after being attacked and bitten by a stray dog near the Nedumangad Municipality office, where she was undergoing her internship.
According to the petition filed, despite multiple incidents of stray dog attacks in the area, Nedumangad Municipality officials failed to take any action to control the increasing stray dog population. Keerthana alleged that the issue has been ignored for too long, putting the lives of common people at serious risk.
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The case came up before Justice C. S. Dias, who has issued notices to both the State Government of Kerala and the Central Government.
Keerthana stated in her plea that she was returning from her internship when a pack of five stray dogs chased and attacked her. One of the dogs bit her. She managed to escape further harm by running to a nearby house and closing the gate behind her. Residents rushed to help after hearing her screams, and the dogs eventually fled.
“I narrowly escaped more serious injuries thanks to the immediate help of local residents,” the petitioner submitted.
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After the traumatic incident, Keerthana approached the Municipality Secretary and requested the local body to carry out sterilization, vaccination, and other humane methods to control the stray dog menace. However, she received no response from the officials, despite repeated appeals.
“There has been no effort from the Municipality even after written requests were submitted. This shows complete neglect of public safety,” the petition stated.
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Keerthana has now sought a direction from the High Court to form a committee under Rule 4 of the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001, for capturing, sterilizing, and rehabilitating stray dogs. She emphasized that legal provisions are available but are not being implemented effectively.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on June 17, 2025.
The plea has been filed through Advocates Sarin, M. R. Sasith, P. Santhoshkumar (Karumkulam), Parvathi Krishna, Mahalekshmy P. S., and Aiswarya Menon.
“The situation is urgent and needs immediate judicial intervention to avoid more such incidents,” the counsel argued.
Case Title: Keerthana Sarin v. State of Kerala and Others
Case Number: WP(C) 21206/2025
