Guwahati: The Gauhati High Court has directed the Assam government’s Home and Political Department to ensure that no buffalo fights (moh juj) are held in the state and to initiate penal action against organisers if such events take place, until further orders.
The interim order was passed by Justice Anjan Moni Kalita on a writ petition filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, India (PETA), which flagged instances of buffalo fights allegedly conducted in several districts of Assam in January this year.
The court observed that such events cannot be permitted under the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and held that their organisation would amount to violation of binding judicial precedents.
PETA India had submitted what it described as “disturbing evidence” of cruelty, including photo and video documentation, alleging that buffaloes were beaten with sticks, pulled by nose ropes, and forced into fights resulting in serious injuries. The petition also referred to an incident where a person was reportedly injured by a buffalo during such an event.
The animal rights organisation urged the court to ensure accountability and prevent any future conduct of such spectacles in violation of earlier judicial directions, including the Supreme Court’s 2014 ruling in Animal Welfare Board of India vs A. Nagaraja, which prohibited animal performances involving inherent cruelty.
In December 2024, the High Court had already quashed an Assam government Standard Operating Procedure that permitted buffalo and bulbul bird fights during a limited period, holding it inconsistent with the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Reacting to the order, PETA India welcomed the court’s intervention, stating that public spectacles involving cruelty to animals have no place in contemporary society.