The Gauhati High Court has struck down a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the Assam government that permitted buffalo and bulbul fights during the Magh Bihu festivities. Justice Devashis Baruah rendered the decision on Tuesday, responding to writ petitions brought by PETA India, citing that the SOP contravened various wildlife protection laws and a preceding Supreme Court ruling.
The controversial SOP, issued in December 2023, had sought to reintroduce these traditional fights, which are held as part of the mid-January Magh Bihu celebrations. These events had been suspended for nine years until their revival this year under the new SOP, which claimed to prioritize animal safety by prohibiting the use of intoxicating substances or sharp implements during the events.
Senior Advocate Diganta Das, representing PETA India, argued that these activities not only breached the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960 but also the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, particularly concerning the bulbul bird fights. Despite the SOP’s focus on animal welfare, the petition highlighted instances where buffaloes were brutally forced to fight and bulbuls were starved and drugged to incite aggression over food.
Justice Baruah noted that while other states had amended laws to facilitate similar traditions, Assam’s approach of issuing an executive order to bypass existing legal frameworks was impermissible. He decisively quashed the December 2023 notification and mandated strict adherence to animal welfare legislation by the state.
