Karnataka government defends statewide ''Kambala'', counters PETA’s petition
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government on Wednesday asserted before the High Court that 'Kambala', a traditional slush track buffalo race, represents the cultural heritage of the entire state, not just a particular region.
This statement was made in response to a public interest litigation filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India.
PETA's petition argued that Kambala is primarily a tradition of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts and that organising the event here is motivated by commercial interests rather than cultural preservation.
Advocate General (AG) Shashi Kiran Shetty, representing the state, rejected PETA's claim that Kambala is restricted to specific regions. He emphasised that Kambala is part of Karnataka’s broader cultural fabric and could potentially be held across the country.
The AG further compared the event to horse races, where horses are transported from different locations for competitions across states. He stressed that the issue at hand was whether the event constituted cruelty to animals, not its geographical location.
Shetty also corrected PETA's claim regarding the date of the Bengaluru event, clarifying that no Kambala race was planned for October 26, as previously reported, and that the permission is yet to be sought from the competent authority to hold the event, which is proposed for November.
The division bench, headed by Chief Justice N V Anjaria and Justice K V Aravind, scheduled the next hearing for November 5. The court directed the state to notify it in advance if permission is granted for the event, allowing PETA to take further legal steps if necessary.
PETA's petition sought a stay on any Kambala event in Bengaluru and called for the enforcement of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, as well as the provisions of the state’s 2017 amendments to the Act. It also requested that the court restrict Kambala to its traditional rural locations in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts.
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Pakistan reports two more polio cases; Total tally now 52
ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.
