Devendra Fadnavis on SC upholds validity of amendment laws on bullock-cart racing says victory of farmers, rural Maharashtra

Maharashtra state deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Supreme Court upheld the validity of amendment Acts of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka which allowed bull-taming sport Jallikattu, bullock-cart races and buffalo racing sport Kambala respectively, said it is a victory of farmers and rural Maharashtra, where bullock-cart racing is a traditional sport.

According to a report of The Indian Express, During my tenure as CM, we made amendments in laws providing adequate safeguards and strict punishment to ensure bullocks are not subjected to cruelty. We also constituted a committee to study and present a scientific report on the running ability of bulls. This was necessitated as animal activists went to court seeking a ban on bullock cart races, saying bullocks are not meant for races said Fadnavis.

The apex court has upheld the state government’s law and report reassuring that adequate safeguards were incorporated to avoid the infliction of cruelty on animals, Fadnavis added. Maharashtra has seen a ban on bullock-cart racing since 2014. The restrictions were lifted for a short while in 2016 but following petitions from animal activists, they were put back in place in 2017.

Kambala race, held in the state of Karnataka between November and March, involves a pair of buffaloes tied to a plough and anchored by one person. They are made to run in parallel muddy tracks in a competition in which the fastest team wins.

Since the Tamil Nadu government allowed Jallikattu in 2017, at least 33 bulls and 104 people have been killed and 8,388 people have been injured in events throughout the state, PETA India said, quoting various news reports.