Plea on cock fight:Ban to continue till further order, says SC

The ban on traditional cock fight games during the Sankranti festival in Andhra Pradesh will continue with the Supreme Court today saying that status quo be maintained till the High Court decides the matter afresh.
"Till the matter is decided, status quo as of today will be maintained," a bench comprising Chief Justice H L Dattu and Justice A K Sikri said.
The bench asked all the contesting parties including the newly-impleaded Animal Welfare Board to go before the Andhra Pradesh High Court for arguing the matter afresh.
The apex court noted that in the teeth of its April last judgement banning bull fighting, bullock-cart races and others sports cruel to animals, the High Court would go into the petition on the cock fighting.

The apex court on January 9 had directed that the Animal Welfare Board (AWB) and others be made parties to a petition seeking stay on a recent order of the High Court banning cock fight games during the Sankranti festival in the state.
The bench had allowed the plea of AWB that as a statutory body, it should have been made a necessary party.

Senior advocate Anand Grover said that an earlier apex court judgement prohibits all such activities as they subject animals and birds to cruelty and had sought impleadment of his client as a party in the petition.

The Andhra Pradesh High Court had in its order on a PIL on December 29 last directed the Superintendent of Police to take action against organising cock fights with betting, sale of liquor, gambling and subjecting animals and birds to cruelty during the Sankranti festival from January 10-16 in West Godavari district.
The High court had banned the games on the PIL, which had alleged that it was against the law safeguarding animals from torture.