A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Bombay High Court seeking a ban on the practice of cock fights, because the birds either get injured or die during such events.

The PIL filed by N G Jayasimha, Director of the Humane Society International, India- an animal welfare organisation based in Hyderabad- states that the petitioner came across a pamphlet which mentioned that a cock fight would be organised on January 2, 2015 in Aashele village at Ganpat Nagar in Ulhasnagar.

Jayasimha had earlier written a letter to the Maharashtra government to get the cock fight banned. As he did not receive any reply, he filed the PIL. He has sought action against the alleged cock fight organisers, Mahesh Tare and Prakash Tare, saying such events violate provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals act.

According to the petition, cock fights are events where two roosters are placed in a small fighting ring and are incited to fight. The roosters used to fight may be specially bred, trained to fight or given steroids in order to make them more aggressive.

Usually, a razor blade or small iron hook is attached to the feet of these roosters to increase the damage inflicted on the other fighting bird, the PIL said.

The PIL said that a cock fight may last from a few minutes to half an hour, and no matter how exhausted the rooster is, it has to keep fighting in the ring. The fight may end with the death of one or both birds, the PIL submitted. Even if the birds survive, they may sustain injuries such as punctured lungs, pierced eyes and broken bones, the PIL said.

People usually gamble on the outcomes of such cock fights, the petition alleged.

The PIL said that it is possible that roosters fight with each other over territory, food or mates. But such fights would only be to establish a hierarchy among birds and would not last as long, or cause such serious injury, as in organised fights.

Therefore, such fights are completely artificial and it cannot be said that the animals exhibit their natural behaviour, the petition said.

Since Sections 11(1)(m) and (n), of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, specifically prohibits both the incitement of animals to fight for purposes of entertainment as well as organisation of such events, and using of a place for such fights, cock fights ought to be considered acts of cruelty and prohibited per se, the PIL said.

The PIL is expected to come up for hearing in January 2015.