The Madras High Court recently allowed a revision petition filed by the District Collector of Thanjavur, holding that cockfights are prohibited under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and therefore cannot be permitted under any circumstances. The bench comprising Justice CV Karthikeyan and Justice R Sakthivel observed that a previous order passed by a division bench of the court, which had directed the authorities to permit cockfights subject to certain conditions, was unwarranted and contrary to the statutory mandate.
The court noted that the earlier order, issued in 2017 in response to a plea filed by a resident of Pattukottai seeking permission to conduct a cockfight as part of a traditional village practice, had directed supervision by a veterinary doctor from the nearby Government Veterinary Hospital, ensured no injury or intoxication of birds, and prohibited the tying of poisoned knives to the birds’ legs. However, the bench now hearing the revision petition concluded that such directions were incompatible with the express prohibition under Sections 3(2), 11, and 28 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
The court emphasized that the statute explicitly prohibits animal fights organised by humans, leaving no room for conditional permission. It observed that the earlier division bench had erred in treating the conduct of cockfights as permissible under regulatory safeguards, when the law itself forbids the activity altogether. The bench stated that in view of the statutory prohibition, the directions issued by the earlier bench were contrary to law and totally unwarranted.
The court further clarified that the earlier order should not act as a precedent in any future application seeking permission to conduct cockfights. It stressed that allowing such events, even with conditions, undermines the legislative intent behind the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, which aims to prevent unnecessary suffering to animals.
The revision petition was filed after the District Collector, Superintendent of Police, and Inspector of Police approached the court seeking review of the 2017 order. They contended that the earlier permission granted by the court violated the statutory ban on cockfights. The court accepted this contention and allowed the revision petition, thereby setting aside the permissive directions.
The bench also referred to its own earlier pronouncements, noting that in 2023, it had issued directions to ensure bird safety during cockfights associated with Pongal celebrations, and in 2025, another bench had held that there is no legal right to conduct cockfights as the statute expressly prohibits human-organised animal fights. These prior observations reinforced the court’s conclusion that the 2017 order was legally unsustainable.
By allowing the revision petition, the Madras High Court has reaffirmed the absolute prohibition on cockfights under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and closed the door on any future attempts to seek judicial sanction for such events, regardless of conditions imposed. The judgment underscores the primacy of statutory law over judicial permissiveness in matters of animal welfare.