Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha passes bill to legalise bullock-cart races in state

The Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha on Thursday passed a Bill legalising bullock cart races in the state. The state assembly passed the bill to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960.

Animal Husbandry Minister Mahadev Jankar tabled the Bill in the state assembly. The state Cabinet had decided to appoint a cabinet sub-committee last week to examine the draft of the amendment bill. The amendment was proposed to preserve the purity, safety, security and well-being of the native breeds in keeping with the tradition and culture of the state.

The races will now be allowed in every district that traditionally organises it and the following or promotion of culture and tradition will not be considered an offence henceforth. The races can be held with the permission of the Collector on condition that no pain or suffering is caused to the animal by any person or person responsible for the animal used in the bullock cart race. The amendment states that any person who is found guilty of causing any injury or harm to the animal will be sentenced to three years in prison or be charged with a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh.

Animal rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has slammed the state government's decision and said in a statement: 

"This new fashion of justifying any cruelty to animals by simply labelling it tradition, whether it is to deliberately terrify bulls for jallikattu or to whip animals for bullock cart races, is one that urgently needs to be put out of style. India has long been admired for its true culture of kindness to animals, but now, as the rest of the world moves toward passing laws to ban bullfighting, the use of animals in circuses and other vile events, allowing bullock cart races shows Maharashtra, a state where beef is banned, has chosen to take a hypocritical, backward stance simply to please a few. PETA will study the amendment allowing bull races and challenge it in an appropriate court of law."

"During races, bulls are often hit with nail-studded sticks, have their nose ropes yanks, their tails' bitten and broken and are commonly made to run beyond the point of exhaustion, leading many to collapse," the statement added.

The Maharashtra government seems to have followed the footsteps of the Tamil Nadu government, which passed an Ordinance in January to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 paving the way for the legalisation of Jallikattu, the bull-taming sport, in the state.