KOCHI: All owners of animals, such as cattle and pets, should obtain ownership licence from the local body within six months, the Kerala high court ordered on Wednesday.
The order was issued by a division bench comprising justices AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Gopinath P after considering the suo motu public interest litigation (WP-C No. 13204/2021) registered by the court following the death of a dog named Bruno at Adimalathura in Thiruvananthapuram.
In the order, the court directed, “The State Government in the Local Self Government Department shall immediately direct the local authorities in the State to forthwith issue public notices requiring owners of animals- cattle, pets etc., falling within their respective local limits to register the animals in their ownership with the local authority concerned and obtain a licence therefor as mandated under the Municipality/Panchayat Act/Rules. The Government may if found necessary, also prescribe the forms of licences and fix the fee that can be collected for the registration/licencing procedure, and ensure that as a first step, the registration/licencing of all such animals presently kept by owners is completed within six months from today. The instructions issued by the Government shall also require the future owners of animals to register their animals with the local authority concerned within three months of acquiring the said animal.”
Regarding the incident at Adimalathura, the court ordered director general of prosecution to enquire whether any proceedings have been initiated against the owners of Bruno so as to force him to compromise the case against the accused. The court’s directive was on the basis of the submission by amicus curiae Ramesh Babu that proceedings have been initiated against the owners to pressurize them into withdrawing the complaint.
