BELAGAVI: The Supreme Court will on Monday hear a plea by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) seeking to quash the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 passed by the Siddaramaiah government allowing the conduct of Kambala.
On November 6, the apex court had issued notices to both the Centre and state to be present in court on Monday. PETA filed a petition in September seeking to strike down the Karnataka ordinance which allows Kambala to be held from this season. The organisation says it will present fresh evidence on the reported brutal treatment of buffaloes.
On July 20, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, was enacted by the Siddaramaiah government in view of the continuing protests in the coastal districts. Kambala events are usually held between November and March.
The animal welfare organisation, armed with new video and photographic evidence, has claimed rampant cruelty to buffalo bulls. The evidence was recorded by them during a Kambala event on Saturday in Moodabidri in Dakshina Kannada district. PETA claimed a majority of bulls were beaten and prodded with wooden sticks and their tails pulled. Some buffalo bulls had marks on their hindquarters indicating that they were beaten before the race. Many bulls had 2-3 tight-fitting 2-2.5cm thick ropes inserted through their nasal septum causing them tremendous distress and pain, it said.
PETA Public Policy Lead Nikunj Sharma said, “This investigation proves yet again that buffalo bulls are terrorised during Kambala events and no amount of regulation can change that. This is why the Supreme Court banned it in the first place.”