The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the constitutional validity of the amendments made by the States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, in order to permit the conduct of animal sports such as Jalikattu, Kambala and bull-cart racing.
A five-judge Constitution Bench of Justice K.M. Joseph, Justice Ajay Rastogi, Justice Aniruddha Bose, Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice C.T. Ravikumar dismissed a batch of petitions challenging the legality of these amendments.
The States had passed these amendments after the Apex Court, while delivering its verdict in the Animal Welfare Board of India v. A. Nagaraja And Ors case in 2014, had banned Jallikattu and similar activities.
The Constitution Bench today ruled that these laws cannot be construed as ‘colourable legislations’ and that the State legislature had the legislative power to make these amendments as per Entry 17 to List II of the Seventh Schedule.
It said that these amendments did not go contrary to the ratio of the judgment in Nagaraja.
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