Udaipur, February 14, 2025 - The Permanent Lok Adalat (PLA) has found the Udaipur Nagar Nigam guilty for the death of a four-year-old child owing to a street dog bite and ordered it to pay Rs 16.15 lakh as compensation to the deceased's family. Additionally, the PLA directed the Municipal Corporation Commissioner to pay the compensation amount with 6% interest to the complainant within two months.

The tragic incident dates back to April 5, 2024, when the four-year-old Reshma was attacked by a group of stray dogs outside the Mastan Baba Dargah where she had come with her family.

During the hearing, the Court clarified that even though the incident had not occurred within the Nigam premises and the maintenance of the public toilet there was not under its responsibility, yet the stray dogs had entered from outside and it was the Nigam’s duty to catch them.

In counter arguments during the hearing, the Nigam said the incident had occurred within the premises of the Mastan Baba Dargah area, which was under the private management of the dargah authorities. Hence, it had no jurisdiction there.

The PLA, presided over by chairman Raviprakash Sharma and member Dr Garima Gupta, issued this ruling following a complaint filed by the girl’s father Nadeem Khan, a resident of Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, and mother Eidbai, against the District Collector and the Municipal Corporation Commissioner. The complainant's case was represented by advocate Parag Agarwal.

There appears to be no let-up in stray dog attack incidents in Udaipur if reports of MB Hospital data alone is anything to go by. There are 25-30 new cases of dog bites daily and every day 40-45 new and old patients receive injections at the hospital.

Source: Media Reports