The Supreme Court on Friday asked states and Union territories to amend their laws to prevent stray cattle on roads and frame schemes to compensate pedestrians and motorists killed or injured in bovine attacks and accidents.
A bench of justice Sanjay Karol and justice N Kotiswar Singh said, “It is commonplace to see reports in newspapers regarding bovine-related incidents and accidents…accidents with a direct and proximate bovine cause are not few and far between.”
Dealing with a 2007 incident in Sangrur, Punjab, where a stray bull attacked a man who sustained head injuries and later died, the bench directed the state to award a lump sum compensation of ₹15 lakh to the widow, holding that the order shall not be treated as a precedent. The bench said, “While this case presents a particular instance before us, we are of the view that the larger issue of these incidents must also be addressed,” offering several suggestions for the Centre and states to act upon.
“Necessary amendments may be carried out or rules promulgated, as is deemed fit by the competent authority, to develop a mechanism for payment of compensation in accidents caused as a result of bovine/cattle, in both categories of cases i.e., pedestrian or vehicular,” the bench said.
{{/usCountry}}“Necessary amendments may be carried out or rules promulgated, as is deemed fit by the competent authority, to develop a mechanism for payment of compensation in accidents caused as a result of bovine/cattle, in both categories of cases i.e., pedestrian or vehicular,” the bench said.
{{/usCountry}}The court noted that the presence of cattle on roads and highways must be prevented, adding that this is only possible if states enact laws or enforce existing regulations to hold owners accountable when cattle are left to graze in the open.
Justice Karol, authoring the judgment, said, “We live in a deeply flawed, human world. Perhaps it is a feature of this flawed world that, on the one end, we let them (cattle) roam about without caring for their safety, and, on the other, find it deeply offensive if an individual uses them to secure a full stomach for himself or his family.”
Noting that 24 states have enacted laws regarding the protection and preservation of bovines, the court asked all such states to take steps to ensure complete and immediate implementation of the law in letter and spirit.
In the case before the court, the bench noted the plight of the victim, who had filed a police complaint after being injured by the bull. While still alive, he wrote to the Municipal Council, Sangrur, demanding compensation of ₹1 crore. The council replied that it received no funds to provide such compensation. He then moved the Punjab and Haryana high court, where a single judge in 2019 calculated compensation by applying the scheme under the Motor Vehicles Act. However, a division bench of the high court set aside this decision in November 2025, directing the widow to file a suit before a civil court.