India's Supreme Court orders compensation mechanism for stray cattle accidents

The Supreme Court of India, in a bench led by Justices Sanjay Karol and N. Kotiswar Singh, expressed serious concern over the growing number of road accidents involving stray cattle, noting more than 1,300 deaths annually. The Court directed the central and state governments to develop a comprehensive mechanism for paying compensation to victims of both pedestrian and vehicular accidents caused by bovine animals.

Key measures ordered include mandatory tagging and digitisation of all cattle, creation of authorised shelters with receipt‑based transfers, and appointment of a nodal officer in each corporation or department to oversee these processes. The Court also urged states to fully implement existing cattle‑related laws and to amend them where necessary, holding animal owners responsible for abandoning livestock.

The directives were issued while hearing an appeal from a Punjab woman whose husband died after being struck by a stray bull, underscoring the urgency of coordinated policy action to prevent further loss of life.