PETA moves SC against Kambala races
Bengaluru: Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has approached the Supreme Court of India, challenging a November 14 order of the Karnataka High Court that allowed buffalo racing events known as Kambala to be organised beyond their traditional
coastal belt.
Sanskriti Bansore, a functionary of PETA state in a press release here today that In a Special Leave Petition (SLP), PETA India argued that permitting such events in inland cities risks expanding what it describes as a cruel animal spectacle under the guise of culture. The group contended that Kambala has historically been associated with the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada district and Udupi district, and that its spread to urban centres such as Bengaluru and Shivamogga represents a commercial adaptation rather than a traditional practice.
The petition also cites provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, arguing that Karnataka’s amendment to the law permits Kambala only under limited cultural circumstances where it has historically been practiced.
According to the organisation, extending the races statewide stretches the scope of the exemption and conflicts with earlier rulings of the Supreme Court in Animal Welfare Board of India v Union of India (2023) and Animal Welfare Board of India v A. Nagaraja (2014).
Alongside the petition, PETA India submitted new video and photographic evidence from events held in late 2025 and early 2026.
The material was also sent to Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister of Karnataka, urging the state government to end such races.
The group claims the footage shows buffaloes being struck with sticks, pulled using nose ropes and collapsing during races.
It also alleges that animals were transported over long distances and subjected to crowded, high-decibel race environments.
