The Karnataka High Court has held that if a pet dog attacks someone, the responsibility lies with the dog’s owner. The court said letting a dog roam freely is an act of negligence and owners must be accountable for any harm caused.
The observation came in a case from Bengaluru. A woman, Elham Reza, told Indiranagar police that she visited her friend Lalitha’s house on February 23, when the pet dog allegedly suddenly pounced on her and attacked her face. She blamed the incident on the alleged carelessness of the dog’s owner Karthik Srivastava and Lalitha.
Police registered a case against Karthik Srivastava and Lalitha and later filed a charge sheet before the 10th ACMM court in the city. Lalitha approached the High Court seeking to quash the proceedings.
During the hearing, Lalitha’s counsel argued that the complainant was familiar with the family’s pet, that the medical report did not record injury marks, and that the dog was not a dangerous breed. The defence also pointed to a delay of about a month in filing the complaint and alleged that the complainant had threatened to demand money before approaching police.
Justice Nagaprasanna rejected the plea, stating that releasing a dog without restraint is irresponsible and that owners must bear responsibility if the animal attacks others. Calling it a warning to all dog owners, the court directed that the petitioner must face the case and dismissed the petition.
