The Supreme Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of a news report about rabies cases caused by bites from stray dogs and the increasing number of infant deaths due to the disease.
Justice JB Pardiwala said that the facts mentioned in the news reports and alarming and disturbing.
“This is a highly disturbing news report titled “City hounded by strays and kids pay price”. It contains extremely troubling details. There are reports of hundreds of dog bite incidents from both cities and peripheral areas, many of which have led to rabies infections. Ultimately, it is infants and senior citizens who are falling prey to this deadly disease,” the court noted in its order.
Justice Pardiwala then proceeded to take suo motu cognisance of the issue and directed that the matter be placed before Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai for appropriate directions.
“We are taking suo motu cognisance. The registry has been directed to treat the matter as a suo motu writ petition and place the order along with the news report before the Chief Justice of India for necessary directions,” the court said.
What the news report said
{{/usCountry}}“We are taking suo motu cognisance. The registry has been directed to treat the matter as a suo motu writ petition and place the order along with the news report before the Chief Justice of India for necessary directions,” the court said.
What the news report said
{{/usCountry}}
The news report mentioned by the judge detailed the attack by a stray dog on a six-year-old girl in Delhi's Rohini area.
According to The Times of India report, Chavi Sharma, a Class 1 student, was attacked by a rabid stray while on her way to visit her aunt on June 30.
The dog bit her multiple times, leaving deep wounds on her left leg, arm and palm.
She was taken to Ambedkar Hospital, where her anti-rabies treatment began. She received two injections and was scheduled for her third dose on July 28. However, on July 24, she developed fever, which allegedly initially dismissed as seasonal flu by doctors.
However, her condition worsened and she had difficulty swallowing water. The six-year-old was referred to multiple hospitals and was finally admitted to a private hospital in Pitampara, where she died on July 25.
“It had only been two days since she started attending (her school),” her elder brother, Vishal Sharma, 27, told The Times of India. “Had the dog been removed, my sister wouldn’t have lost her life.”