Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has published a gazette notification to put into operation the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA), (Maharashtra Amendment) Act, 2017, so as to allow bullock-cart races for cultural and traditional reasons, subject to certain conditions.

The races must get prior permission of the district collector but first, needful care should be taken to ensure that no pain/suffering as envisaged under the Act is caused to the animals by those in charge of such races.

The Act which received Presidential assent and came into operation July 31 onward, lays down that causing pain/harm to the bull will be punished with fines of up to Rs 5 lakh or imprisonment of up to three years. The assembly earlier passed the bill in April, close on the heels of Tamil Nadu enacting a law to regularise its rural sport Jallikattu, which is a bull-taming event. The Supreme Court in 2014 had banned the races that are variously called bailgadi sharyat, chhakadi and shankarpath in Maharashtra.

Permission to hold bullock cart races was granted after amending some sections of the PCA Act, 1960, as per the notification which read, “To follow tradition and culture and ensure preservation of native breeds of bulls as also their purity, safety, security and wellbeing.”

It further said that no pain or suffering should be caused to the animal. “If any person related to the bullock cart race causes pain or suffering to the animal, he shall be punished with a fine which may extend up to Rs 5 lakh or imprisonment for a term which may extend up to three years.”

The races were banned in 2014 after the SC declared that they violated provisions of the central act. The legislation defined the bullock cart race as an event involving bulls or bullocks to conduct a race with animals tied to a cart by a wooden yoke, with or without a cart man.