Terming cockfights prima facie illegal and a cruel practice, the Bombay high court on Friday asked the Maharashtra government to ban such bouts in the state.
Terming cockfights prima facie illegal and a cruel practice, the Bombay high court on Friday asked the Maharashtra government to ban such bouts in the state. The court has also asked the government to take action against the organisers of such events.
N.G. Jayasimha, an animal lover, had moved the high court against a cockfight held last year in a village near Ulhasnagar. While disposing of the petition on Wednesday, the HC bench of Justices S.S. Kemkar and M.S. Karnik has asked the state government to strictly implement the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act by putting a stop to cockfights.
The court had earlier stayed the Ulhasnagar cockfight event while accepting an assurance from the organisers they would not hold the event. Two days ago, the organisers again assured the high court that in future they would not hold a cockfight event. Accepting this statement, the court disposed of the PIL while asking the government to strictly implement the Act.
According to the petition, a cockfight involves two roosters being placed in a small fighting ring and then being incited to fight. The roosters may be specially bred, trained or given steroids to make them more aggressive. Usually, a razor blade or small iron hook is attached to the feet of such a rooster to increase the damage inflicted on the other fighting bird, it said. The PIL said it is possible that roosters fight with each other over territory, food or mates. However, such fights would only be to establish a hierarchy among birds and would not last as long, or cause such serious injury, as in organised fights.
