NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea against holding the sport of buffalo racing ‘Kampala’ in parts of Karnataka other than Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, asking why it should be restricted only to a particular area of the state.
The Kampala race, held in Karnataka state between November and March, involves a pair of buffalo tied to a plow and controlled by one person. They are designed to run on parallel muddy tracks in a competition in which the fastest team wins.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing a petition filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in India challenging an order passed by the Karnataka High Court on November 14.
The Supreme Court had rejected the prayer to prevent the state from notifying any place outside Dakshin Kannada and Udupi districts for Kampala detention.
“If they want to showcase the culture in different parts of the state, what’s wrong? Let people in other parts of the state also learn about the culture. Why limit it to a particular area only?” Justice Mehta observed during the hearing.
The lawyer representing PETA India referred to an affidavit the state had earlier submitted to the Supreme Court which was then dealing with the Kampala-related pleas.
The lawyer said in that affidavit that the state submitted that it is a traditional sport in two coastal districts of Karnataka.
“It has nothing to do with the tradition and culture of Bengaluru,” the lawyer said, adding that the event will now be held on the grounds of the state capital.
While rejecting the petition, the council said: “One of these days, we may ask PETA some questions as well.”
In May 2023, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court upheld the validity of amendment laws in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka that allowed the sport of bull taming ‘jallikattu’, bullock cart racing and the sport of buffalo racing, saying they were ‘valid legislation’.
Jallikattu, also known as “Eruthazhuvuthal”, is a sport played in Tamil Nadu as part of the harvest festival Pongal.
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