Taking a cue from Tamil Nadu, which legalised Jallikattu through a new law in January this year, the Maharashtra Assembly on Thursday passed a Bill amending the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 to revoke the ban on bullock cart races in the State.
Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Minister Mahadev Jankar moved the amendment bill seeking to legalise the bullock cart races in the State. The lower House adopted the bill after two-hour-long discussion.
The Maharashtra Government will table the same bill in the State legislative Council on Friday which is incidentally the last day of the ongoing budget session of the Maharashtra legislature. The Upper House will in all likelihood pass the amendment bill, MAHA which will pave way for legalising bullock cart races in Maharashtra.
Following a vociferous clamour from members of various political parties, the Maharashtra Government had last week appointed a Cabinet sub-committee, under the chairmanship of the Animal Husbandry Minister, to submit the draft amendment bill within a week.
The State Government’s intent behind amending the legislation, as enunciated in its bill, is to follow and promote tradition and culture and ensure preservation of native breeds of bulls as also their purity, safety, security and well-being.
The amendment will be applicable to bullock cart races in the State which are known by different names in different parts like "Chakadi", "Bailgada Sharyat", or "Shankar Paat" .
Under the amended law, bullock cart races will be allowed in any district where it is being traditionally held at such places. However, the organisers will have to seek prior permission from the district collector concerned giving an undertaking that the event would result in “no pain or suffering envisaged by any person or person in charge of the animal used to conduct the bullock cart race”.
The amendment bill stipulates that any person found guilty of injuring or causing harm to the animal would be punished with three years imprisonment or a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh.
After bulls were included as performing animals in the ambit of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, bullock-cart races were banned in Maharashtra in 2011.
However, after the recent Jallikattu was legalised in Tamil Nadu, the ruling Shiv Sena was clamouring for the lifting of ban on the bullock cart racing in Maharashtra. The Sena had organised protests in some parts of the State, demanding re-starting of bullock cart races in the State.