What happens under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita if your pet animal attacks someone?

On the other hand, Section 289 of the IPC, which has the exact same wordings as Section 291 of the BNS, imposed a fine of upto Rs 1,000, along with imprisonment upto six months.

In September 2022, the Supreme Court had held that if stray dogs (who are not technically “owned” by anyone), attacked someone, then the people who routinely feed them could be made liable to bear the costs.

Many Indians on X responded positively to the changed law, while others complained that the fine was still too low. One user wrote that the fine wasn’t even enough to cover their treatment costs in case they were bitten by a pet.

The latest NCRB Crime in India report reveals that animal attacks in 2022 rose by 19% from 2021. Another concerning trend was an increase in the number of people dying or getting injured in animal attacks.

The data shows that in 2022, 1,510 people in India died due to animal bites — 1,205 men and 305 women — this was a rise from 1,264 deaths in 2021.

According to a Rajya Sabha question answered by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on December 15, around 27.6 lakh people in India got bitten by dogs in 2023 — this was a rise of 26.5% from 2022, when 21.8 lakh dog bites were reported all over India.