Supreme Court allows bullock cart race in Maharashtra

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the resumption of bullock cart race in Maharashtra, which has been prohibited in the state since 2017.

The apex court observed that validity of the amended provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the rules framed by Maharashtra, which provided for bullock cart race in the state, would operate during the pendency of the petitions as the entire matter has been referred to a constitution bench.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar noted that no interim relief was granted earlier by the top court on the petitions challenging the validity of similar state amendment of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka where such races are going on. "Same dispensation must apply to the amended provisions as applicable to the state of Maharashtra, which are similar to the amendment carried out in the other two states," said the bench, also comprising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and C T Ravikumar.