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KHi all, I need legal advice urgently.
I live in an apartment community where each floor has around 7–8 apartments. I’ve been living here for over 4 years. I’m one of the two bachelors on my floor, and I live with my dog. Over the past year or so, several families with children moved in. 4 out of the 8 apartments now have kids.
Since they moved in, there’s been passive hostility toward me and my dog. They’ve always made snide comments, but I ignored it.
Yesterday, I was packing for a short out-of-town trip. While I opened the door to leave, she darted out into the common space where a few families were gathered. She ran around for maybe 3-4 seconds and immediately returned to me when I called her. The kids screamed (as kids do), but there was no aggression from my dog whatsoever. She’s well-behaved, licensed and vaccinated.
Despite this, one of the parents shouted at me claiming I intentionally let my dog loose to “attack” their children, which is ridiculous. I calmly put my dog back in the apartment, called it nonsense, and left for my trip. My parents came over later to take care of her.
Here’s where it escalates:
They pulled CCTV footage from the floor that shows my dog off-leash for those few seconds. Based solely on this, they filed a police complaint, not just about the dog, but including all kinds of false allegations:That I regularly throw parties (I don’t. I’m an introvert who spends weekends watching shows)
That I bring women home and cause a nuisance (character assassination)
That I endangered children with a dangerous pet.
Because I was away, the police called my parents, and late at night, they were asked to remove the dog immediately. Else, an FIR will be filed on me. Since it was so late, my parents requested one more day to figure out a new place.
I’ve now cut my trip short and am heading back today. I’ve already arranged temporary accommodation for me and my dog. But I’m extremely disturbed. Can people just file a police complaint and get me evicted based on an exaggerated incident and lies?
Here are my questions:
1. Is what they did legal? Can a complaint like this force me out or get me to remove my dog?
2. What rights do I have as a tenant and a pet owner?
3. Can I take any legal action for false allegations, defamation, and harassment?
4. Is it possible to counter-complain to safeguard myself going forward?Appreciate any advice. This is incredibly unfair and stressful. Thanks in advance.
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EGet in touch with the animal welfare board of India. I’ve had neighbours try to harass me for the same multiple times. I contacted the awbi and they sent a letter to the secretary of my housing complex . One can only threaten you with all this fir and all that . You’ll also be able to find all the details on the AWB website.
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BI believe your main question is about your pet. It has to be leashed as per municipal rules and should have a certificate from them. Anyways, the residents have right to file a case as you left the pet unattended. Your pet will always appear friendly and non harming to you but others don’t care about that. Residents have right to live safely. Rights exist for both you and them. The kids will obviously be terrified by a dog. Unless to satisfy your ego, getting a lawyer for this type of things is a waste. You can try if you are rich.
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UOption 1
Keep the pet on a leash but you’ve technically not done anything illegal. None of the charges will hold water in court. Women coming home isn’t illegal in case both are adults either.
Do you have a lawyer? Let them file an FIR.. any good lawyer should be able to set the record straight with the cops and question the cops about what allegations are they going to put in the First Information Report… They will not be able to file a chargesheet without evidence in any case
They will have to put irrlevant charges like causing nuisence etc. which are easily bailable, possibly non cognisible.. and the moment you get a lawyer into the picture, that will be deterrent enough for the cops to ask both parties to negotiate and settle as it simply means more work for them. At present they are listening to the ‘uncles and auntys’ of the society and moral policing you. You can choose to call their bluff with a lawyer.
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All said – this will mean a little bit of a headache and being a villain in the society. Do you want to stay, fight your neighbours and prove a point? Even if you win, which you mostly will, you’ll live in negativity and be always on the edge.. worrying that your every move is being watched and your neighbours are waiting for you to falter somewhere.. It’s not really a happy ‘home’ to come back to. Not to mention your landlord could chuck you out with the notice clause in your rent agreement.
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You could swallow your ego, despite you being right, and move on to a pet friendly society with your friend.
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Meet your society secretary, have a firm but polite discussion on the situation and if you can get the person to settle.. you can convey the same to the cops and they will let it go
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USend a legal notice and demand proof of having “parties” via CCTV footage and any other nuisance caused.
Ask society secretary to take back charges and give a written apology letter for future reference.
Contact Animal Welfare Board and take their help.
Ensure you don’t violate any other laws/rules.
Let your advocate handle police.
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CPut a noise complaint on the parents and kids, tell that the husbands are having an affair, with how society is nowadays one of the 4 families will atleast have this.
If I was in your place I would have done this, don’t care if they are families.
But try to make sure your doggo does not dart outside like that. People are stupid.
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BHow is someone else affair a reason for police complaint? Isn’t complaint is a nuisance case? Police will enquire with the neighbours and if found false that guy will receive an earful from the police for wasting their time.
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PLet me make this very clear while accidents do happen and this one is a very unfortunate one, you just cannot have your dog run out in common areas. If the dog was well trained, it wouldn’t have run out of the house when you opened the door. 1 vital training point for dogs is exactly this (I used to have a german shepherd now deceased due to old age). They obviously went about this the wrong way but you weren’t right in this either. You need to understand their point of view where a strange animal is running in a closed space around them how threatened and unprotected they felt. You can swat away stray dogs because they are weak and have learnt that showing your hand towards them means they need to get away from you but you literally have no way to protect yourself against a pet dog. That being said both of you have been wrong in this them being more wrong. I just wanted to write this comment to help you see their pov for once.
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WPeople who don’t like animals are a menace to society.
There was a study published in Frontiers in Psychology journal that examined how different facets of narcissism relate to empathy for humans and animals. The researchers found that individuals exhibiting antagonistic traits—a component of narcissism—tended to have lower levels of empathy toward both humans and animals, as well as more negative attitudes toward animals.
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WHere is the link. Read for yourself.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1087049/full
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BOthers have answered about the dog, you can put a defamation charge against the character assassination. Come back at them where they regret this. You have problem with DOG be it, you can’t just put false claims like this.
Thay being said, many may come back at me for this, my wife is super scared of dogs because of incident when she was a kid.
If a dog runs towards her out of joy, trust me she may faint someday out of fear. I know you cant control a dog that ran when the door was open but you can never win against some truly scared person. I couldn’t believe when I saw my wife for the first time reacting like this but over few years of our marriage I can tell it not a joke, she actually get scared as if someone it about to shoot her with a real gun.
I know this sounds unbelievable but it’s true.
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SLawyer here.
Which city is this? Don’t be afraid and don’t back down. Get a lawyer and when the police call, have your lawyer be stern with the police. No cognizable offense has occurred. This is typical RWA overreach.
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Poh it might not be a cognizable offence(just googled it) where they can arrest without warrant but that does not mean it is legal right?
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SHe did not let his dog out on purpose to terrorize the residents. His dog stepped out for a second by mistake. That is not a criminal offense.
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PI mean isnt that kind of bending the truth? stepping out is not the same as running in circles around them? and how can we decide if its mistake or it was intentional but when it stepped out and the people screamed it went back to the owner? I am not supporting the other residents they are obviously doing monstrous things and (clearly) illegal things by filing false complaints but i dont think OP is in the right either? Its a common area and the dog is unleashed. If no incident occured that is just everyone being lucky. At the end of the day if the dog was trained, it would not have stepped out…Again trying to make sense of the situation and how the law sees different aspects of this not trying to argue with you so dont take offence.
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SThere has been no loss of life or property. On the contrary, malicious and defamatory accusations are being made by the residents.
I am sure the residents/police are batting to invoke BNS 291, but there is no demonstrable danger to human life or grievous hurt (since no prior evidence of the dog’s escaping/attacking/aggression exists) so the section will fall flat in Court.
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Pohk one last question if suppose this dog escapes the house once or twice more in the future without leash can all those incidents together be used to prove that the dog is untrained and therefore can be dangerous in the future?
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SUntrained dog is not a problem. Keeping an untrained dog is not illegal. However, negligent conduct with respect to the ownership of a demonstrably dangerous dog is illegal. So a lot of it depends on the facts and circumstances of the case.
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WOnly sane comment here. While it is wrong to file false cases. If people are not comfortable around your pet then OP should have been careful. Every dog is cute until they maul a kid or bite someone!!
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S>unleashed dog in common area? running around? this isnt an offence?
It’s not. There’s no law in this country that says a pet has to be on a leash and cannot run around. All that is necessary is requiring safety of the people and animals. From OPs descriptions that was fine.
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AMy 3 month old kitten just ran out due to curiosity and a toddler screamed out of fear and my kitten startled came back home. Serious offence bro! Any legal advice on how I can protect myself from such heinous offence ?
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Pthe point is what if the kitten had gone to attack or jump on the kid but it screamed thats why it came back. My question was purely out of curiosity to learn how the law judges that without putting the blame on anyone. Anyways you can act like an immature fuck all you want.
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PIm not that well versed in kitten sizes and physical attributes but a toddler can’t even move properly while a kitten can easily leap, jump, run etc. Kitten also have teeth since around 3 weeks of age. So yeah a kitten which might be small and timid to us can be seen as a threat to a toddler. Again idk what age you are taking the toddler to be but u specified kitten is 3 months of age at which the kitten also shows signs of increased social behaviour, playful exploration which can unintentionally lead to it biting a toddler (because animals like dogs and cats explore the world using their mouth). Toddlers getting bit at such an important stage of their development can give them lifelong fear of animals and pets. You can call the kitten cute all you want believe me I think pets are cute as well (as I wrote in another comment I used to have a german shepherd) but dont act like there is no danger from animals. Infact you never know what might provoke an animal. What if a dog (just for example) has a tick on them and when they are roaming unleashed (in a trained way close to their owner) the tick bites down hard and the dog feels startled and starts running around? Are you so naive to not call that a threat?
See you never understood my point though. I was just asking these questions to get an insight on how the law works in these cases as it is a field any citizen should be curious about. You are ostracizing me for wanting to learn more about the laws of my country. Continue reading my comments on this thread to the original guy you might get an insight on what I was thinking.
If trying to gain knowledge is illegal then jail me and you can roam freely around as the most law abiding citizen in this country.
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SYou and people like you are a menace to society. Period.
You will never understand that individuals, especially children, have a genuine fear of dogs, yet people like you let your pets roam freely and continue feeding stray animals.
Yes, you can seek assistance from corrupt NGOs and the AWBI, which was established at the behest of a corrupt politician. They will “handle” law-abiding citizens in your community by sending them threatening letters and making abusive phone calls.
For all the trouble and horrifying acts dog feeders and pet owners like you have caused in this country, karma will deal with you sooner or later.
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WIf individuals and children fear Dogs, then they/their parents should live in desolate areas where they won’t be exposed to Dogs.
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WLol thats like saying a girl should not go out of the house coz she fears getting molested by men. Like men need to be the one getting better, its the owners responsibility to train their dogs better that they are not running around in common areas!!!
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WThe dog ran out for 3-4 seconds as per OP and then ran back to her owner. Clearly she was excited and that’s ok. It’s not like she stopped and sniffed anyone or barked at anyone.
It sounds like the owner has trained his Dog pretty well!
Loads of people have dogs as pets. Sometimes shit happens in life. Zero harm was done here.
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WI have been attacked by such a well trained dog who had never been aggressive before that when I was visiting my relative out of no where. And it js not a trauma you just get over.
The point is at end of the day when we cannot give 100% gurantee that a human will not attack someone, how can we be 100% sure for an animal.
There were people out there who were scared or not comfortable. Who is to say these people might have reacted and retaliated and then this might have led to unwanted situation.
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SAsk those parents whose kids and family members have been painfully killed due to rabies because evil people like you want to keep strays on the road and keep feeding them. None of the decent countries in the world have aggresive strays dogs like India has. Even 1-2 European countries that allow strays, put them to sleep at the first instance of them getting aggressive.
It’s only because of corrupt NGOs, pharma mafia and evil imbeciles like you that India has the highest rate of rabies in the world.
As I said earlier, karma will come to haunt you sooner or later.
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FThere’s no legal discourse,you shouldn’t have let the dog loose,CCTV footage will supercede any logical argument your lawyer has, Also if u are dog lover doesn’t mean others around you also love dogs,some people and some kids get really nervous around dogs running towards them.
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UGosh. He did not do it intentionally !! Can you read? Should he be careful, yes? Charater assassinated : Hell NO
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FLaw applies regardless of intention dude, it doesn’t care about intention. All the false cases , character assassination is a different aspect , understand the legality of matter, people who has filed complaint has clear video recording,when it will be furnished in court,court will only ask ” Do you agree that it’s you in video and it’s your dog” not the intention
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UAhmm, sir …
Intention matters a lot in law. Please talk to a lawyer to understand this or AI search it… Intention is proven with evidenceTake murder for example : the quantum of the sentence varies significantly when for example it’s proven that the crime was well thought out, planned and there was an ‘intent’ to kill.
If the ‘intent’ wasn’t to murder, let’s say the crime happened in the ‘heat of the moment or was done in a fit of rage’ the quantum of punishment is very different… And is non existent if the ‘intent’ was self defence.
In this case, there was no material loss or damamge that occured.. the dog fortunately did not bite anyone and OPs intention (taking it for face value) was not to harm anyone.. so what charges will be applied? Negligence? Sure.. that’s a petty offence .. a diary entry and an NC at the PS at the best
Think of this hypothetical situation:
‘You live on the 3rd floor of a building a d have flower pots on the railing or plants hooked to it.. kids play cricket or shuttle in the compound below…
You are taking a call in the balcony and by mistake a pot falls and it misses the head of a child.. no one is harmed.. they see it coming and scramble.. or let’s say an iron wire that holds the pots breaks due to years of corrosion
Now, should you be charged with attempt to murder? ‘
According to your logic, intention should not matter, if a camera captures the pot falling, you own the house and the pot .. you are culpable ‘
So attempt to murder and 15 years?
The law allows for nuances, think about it from the POV if ‘what if this happened to me’?
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UBut this plebe has two words for you ‘ Mens Rea’ and some unsplicited advice read a lot .. be curious .. use AI if you can’t read.. tech has made life easy for us
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FTypes of Mens Rea:
Different offenses under the IPC may require different levels of mens rea, such as:
Intention: The person intended to cause the specific result.
Knowledge: The person was aware that their act would likely cause the result.
Recklessness: The person was aware of a risk and disregarded it.
Negligence: The person failed to take reasonable care, resulting in the harm.Read the fourth where OP falls,
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AAise log zinda kaise reh lete hai bhai jinko kutto se itna dar lagta hai. Bhai hamare desh me har gali me 10 jangli kutte rehte hai. Ye toh paltu kutta tha joh kuch nahi kiya. Tumhari gaadi ke picche jab 10 jangli kutte bhagenge tab toh tumhe heart attack hi aajayega.
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FAise majority of log hai,and they have all the right to live like cowards as per your definition, ye hoga to waisa hoga,ye hoga to ye nahi hoga,it doesn’t stand in court of law,woh bachhe log ko story sunane me kam ata hai, reality me nahin when police complaint is filed
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A🤣🤣🤣 brother their case has no merit. I am third year law student. Just because some kids saw a dog without leash doesn’t lead to assault. Even I can defend OP in the court. Let them do whatever they want.
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II live in a high-rise and I’m a lifelong dog lover, currently a parent to two little Yorkies and a young child. So I understand both perspectives.
First, what breed is your dog? If it’s a large one, even the most well-trained dog (who may seem perfect to you) can make parents uneasy when unleashed around kids. Please try to see it from their point of view. Children often overreact, but you can’t blame them, it’s a natural fear response.
My Yorkies are tiny and harmless, but some kids still get scared. Since I can’t predict who’ll be in the elevator, I always carry them in my arms. They don’t react at all this way even if someone happens to enter the elevator. Everyone has gotten to know them in my tower and loves them but I STILL carry them in my arms. If a staff member takes them out, they use the service lift. If I had a large dog I couldn’t carry or control 100%, I’d only use the service lift to take him down. Perhaps that’s something you can consider, your neighbors would likely appreciate the effort.
If, however, the neighbors remain adamant and push ahead with the complaint, your best option might be to consult a lawyer and deal with it legally. But that would make things tense. They might start trying to collect or “create” evidence against you, and one small misstep could lead to constant harassment. Having such a relationship with your neighbours can make things very toxic.
The better approach? Have a casual chat. Apologize for the incident, even if it was just a brief moment, and reassure them it won’t happen again. Stick to that promise and try using the service lift for walks. A bit of empathy and proactive effort can go a long way.
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KSorry I couldn’t reply to your comments individually. I’ve almost reached home and have been preparing my next step. First of all, thank you for the support and thoughtful comments. It’s honestly reassuring to see that some people still recognize the absurdity of this situation.
To answer some of the questions and add more context:
I’m from Chennai, and I live in an apartment complex in Adyar. My dog is almost 4 years old now, an indie, and extremely friendly. I’ve had occasional issues especially with two families, one of whom just moved in recently. While most families didn’t want to escalate this to the police, a separate individual, another parent from the opposite apartment who wasn’t even present during the incident, chose to file the police complaint. From what I’m hearing, he was extremely aggressive with my parents during the confrontation and it feels like he was waiting for an opportunity like this to act.I’ve tried before to bridge the gap, inviting some of the parents to see how friendly my dog is with kids. She knows how to sense discomfort and backs off if someone’s uneasy. The running around happened only because she was excited, and it was unfortunate timing that the kids were in the corridor then.
What’s deeply upsetting is that both my parents are elderly and retired, and being called to a police station late at night, something they’ve never experienced before, has caused them a lot of distress and trauma.
Right now, all signs point to them wanting the dog out. So I’m moving to a temporary, pet-friendly space where she’ll be comfortable and away from this kind of toxicity. I’m planning to reach out to animal welfare authorities to report this and get clarity on my rights, and I’m planning to speak with a lawyer as well.
To be honest, I don’t have much hope at this point. This whole thing is taking a toll emotionally and financially. But I’m pushing forward with the only thought that I’m giving her a better space to live, where she can feel safe and happy.
Thanks again to everyone who took the time to comment.
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ENAL
The best option for you would be to shift to a more pet friendly space. For all the animal welfare /counter complain worriers here…consider the following:
You are a bachelor living in an apartment block filled with families, if they decide to gang up on you, do you think you can handle the flurry of fake molestation cases against their women and fake POSCO cases against the kids? Recall that this country when a woman accuses you will be put in jail first and investigation would be launched later on.
Is it fair? No, but when did you expect anything in this country to be fair & legal?
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SIf you are renting, leave and find a new place. Even if you get legal help and file a case, etc, with neighbors who hate your dog like that would you want to take a chance?
They could have your dog killed (worst case) and you can do nothing. It’s many against one, and mob mentality exists.
Or they could get the cops to take your dog – worst!
Just move. Find a more supportive place to live. If you own the home, then you need legal advice. But please keep your dog safe, don’t trust these folks.
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CI’m all in for pets like pigeons, parrot, cat, and dog but there should be limits.
I don’t agreee with what your neighbors did but seeing that the dog’s leash wasn’t in your hands anymore is not a good thing. This should never happen. I’m saying this because I’m on the other side where I’m scared of dogs even the pet ones because of my past.
The very reasom being they can get out of control anytime and the only people they won’t harm are the owners so it’s fair for anyone else to be scared for themselves and their dependants.
I hope you understand and keep taking care of your pets and at the same time don’t expect non-owners to do the same for your pets especially dogs.
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