HC refuses to lift ban on bullock cart races

Mumbai, Oct 11: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday refused to lift a ban imposed on bullock cart races in Maharashtra for Diwali festival. The HC observed that amendment to the law could not change the fact that the races meted out cruelty to animals. It also observed that prima facie it is seen that anatomy of the bull is such that making it run itself amounts to cruelty as observed by the apex court in a judgement passed in 2014, distinguishing between bull and horse and bull not being in the category of performing animals. It may be recalled that in August, the Bombay HC restrained Maharashtra Government from granting permission to hold bullock cart races till the authorities frame rules governing the activity. The court said since the state government had not framed rules to govern the races in line with the amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, it could not grant permission for such races. During the budget session of the Maharashtra legislature, the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance had introduced a Bill to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Maharashtra Amendment) Act to regularise the bullock cart races in the state, which was subsequently passed. A popular form of sport in the rural Maharashtra, particularly in western and northern parts of the state, bullock cart races were banned in 2014, but the state revived the proposal after Tamil Nadu enacted a law regularising its rural sport “Jalikattu” or taming the bull. UNI