BANGALORE: The death of an eight-year-old girl in Bangalore from dog bite and the menace of street dogs came up before the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday with a public interest litigation (PIL) petition being filed on it.

The court was told that some of the provisions of Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules, under which all animals, including street dogs, are classified are unfriendly to human beings.

While some provisions of the ABC are unworkable, some are in direct conflict with the liberty and life of a citizen and violates Article 21 of the Constitution.

The petitioner, B. Krishna Bhat, said several people in Bangalore had suffered dog bites and that the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) had been lax in tackling the issue of stray dogs.

He claimed that the sterilisation of dogs had not ended the menace of street dogs. Instead sterilised dogs had become more ferocious and this, he said, is clear from increased attacks on people.

Citing reports from The Hindu , he said 16 persons including a six-year-old boy and an 80-year-old woman in Lakshmanapuri slum were bitten by a stray dog on March 31, 2006.

On December 5, four children were bitten by a dog in Chandra Layout and on January 5, 2007 an eight year-old girl was bitten to death by stray dogs in Chandra Layout.

He said the State Health Ministry had gone on record stating that there are 70,000 stray dogs in Bangalore alone. The BMP itself, in a report, had stated that during 2005-06, there were 28,006 registered cases of dog bites.

He urged the court to stay the operation of Rule 7 of ABC which deals with capture, sterilisation, immunisation and release of dogs.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice B.S. Patil ordered issue of emergent notices to the State Government, Bangalore Mahanagara Palike and Animal Welfare Board.

It adjourned further hearing on the case to February 1.

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