Kerala High Court orders state compensation for elephant attack ₹1.78L
India
The Kerala High Court just decided that if someone is hurt or killed by a wild animal, the state government has to pay compensation.
This comes after Scaria was tragically killed by an elephant on a panchayat road, and his family was awarded ₹1.78 lakh.
The court made it clear that the government cannot hide behind old rules to avoid responsibility.
Court flags forest department safety lapses
The court pointed out that the forest department did not do enough to keep people safe, like not installing power fencing lines and trenches along the forest boundary to prevent wild animals from leaving forest land and entering private properties.
Even though officials argued Scaria might have been intoxicated, the court said it was still their job to prevent these attacks.