New Delhi, May 19: When marauding bulls murder people on the streets, it’s the civic body that is responsible, Delhi High Court ruled today.

The court made history by holding the Municipal Corporation of Delhi liable for bulls goring three persons to death this year and awarding the victims’ families Rs 6.37 lakh in compensation.

The compensation ? Rs 3 lakh of it payable by the Delhi government ? must reach the families within four weeks, the division bench of Chief Justice B.C. Patel and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said.

The court, which had taken suo motu cognisance of the matter from newspaper reports, found the corporation guilty of negligence for its failure to drive the bulls off the streets despite several complaints. It will now decide whether the compensation amount should be deducted from the salaries of the two civic officials responsible for the areas where the tragedies occurred.

Corporation counsel .P. Saxena argued that there was no direct negligence on the part of the civic body.

“This is the first time that a court has held a civic agency liable for acts committed by stray cattle and awarded compensation to the victims’ families,” he said.

Rani Devi, 45, a housewife, was gored to death in east Delhi in February. Chenna Ram, 60, a pensioner, was killed by the same bull in the same locality. Murali Nath, 45, a priest, was killed in March in west Delhi.

With the Delhi government having already paid Rs 1 lakh as ex gratia to the family of each victim, the MCD has to pay the rest.