The Karnataka High Court, in a judgment, clarified that injuries caused to pets or animals will not attract the rash driving clause.
Story so far: In a recent decision, the Karnataka High Court ruled that injuries to pets or animals during traffic accidents would not fall under the purview of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Motor Vehicles Act. The court specifically stated that hasty driving under section 279 of the Indian Penal Code only applied to people and not to pets or other animals.
- Justice Suraj Govindaraj issued the ruling after hearing a plea from a 21-year-old seeking to stop legal action taken against him after he was charged with killing a pet dog.
Section 279 of IPC: Charges filed under Section 279 of the IPC, according to Justice Govindaraj, would not be pursued because the section did not recognize or make any injury to animals illegal. Additionally, he said that an accident involving a pet or other animals would not trigger the application of Section 187 of the Motor Vehicle Act, which deals with penalties for causing accidents.