RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh high court has held that if the state or a local body fails to discharge control strays or rabid dogs, resulting in the death of an individual, they must pay Rs 10 lakh compensation to the victim's family.Petitioner Shobha Ram, from Balod district, had moved high court in 2017, seeking compensation from the state government for the death of his wife, who contracted rabies after being bitten by a stray.Allowing his appeal, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra pointed out in his order that the law obligates gram panchayats to "detain an unclaimed dog and destroy it after three clear days"."In this case, the gram panchayat failed to perform its statutory function. For its failure, the gram panchayat, jointly with the state government, would be liable to compensate the petitioner," the order said.In April 2017, Shobha Ram's wife was bitten by a rabid dog when she was on her way to home. She was admitted to three hospitals but there was no improvement in her health, and she died in June that year. Her husband sought compensation from the collector, but nothing came of it. Ram moved court.Justice Mishra notes in his order that the petitioner's plea for compensation was not processed at the collector's office because of a memo issued by the tehsildar, Gunderdehi, that there is no provision under Revenue Book Circular for awarding compensation on account of a stray dog bite

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