Kerala HC examines draft circular on snakebite management, seeks early implementation
Published: September 11, 2025 07:46 PM IST
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Representational image for snake bite. Photo: /iStock/@marketlan
Kochi: The Kerala High Court has taken note of a draft circular prepared by the State Government to frame comprehensive guidelines for the prevention and management of snakebites. A division bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Shoba Annamma Eapen was hearing a petition filed after a 2019 incident in which a student died following a snakebite.
Following earlier directions of the Court, a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary was held on September 1. Senior officials from the Forest, Health, Education and Local Self-Government departments, along with representatives from the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, National Institute of Virology and the Forest Department, attended.
The Health Services Department, in consultation with the Director of General Education, presented a draft circular, which the Chief Secretary said could be adopted. Stakeholders were asked to submit their reports by September 3.
The minutes of the meeting recorded two major policy suggestions: notifying snakebite as a notifiable disease (subject to legal review) and exploring the production of antivenom for lesser-known species in collaboration with the Forest Department and Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology.
The amicus curiae and petitioner’s counsel said they would review the draft and suggest improvements. The Court noted that while policies could be modified later, a comprehensive guideline must be implemented at the earliest.
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