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Injured, ailing Victoria horses should be taken off roads: HC
In an attempt to stop injured or ailing horses being used for joyrides, the Bombay high court (HC) on Thursday ordered that such Victoria horses should be prohibited from plying till they are fit to do so.
In an attempt to stop injured or ailing horses being used for joyrides, the Bombay high court (HC) on Thursday ordered that such Victoria horses should be prohibited from plying till they are fit to do so.
The court has asked the petitioner and animal welfare bodies to identify such horses, after which the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) should seize those horse found suffering from physical ailments or injuries and keep them off the roads until they recover.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by the Animals and Birds Charitable Trust that alleged cruelty to animals used for joyrides. A division bench of chief justice Mohit Shah and justice NM Jamdar directed the petitioners, The Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) and the Animal Welfare board officials to survey and identify injured horses in need of treatment and report it to the executive health officer of the corporation.
The court has directed that the health officer, upon receiving the details of such horses, should summon the owner along with the horse in order to get the animal examined by the corporation’s veterinary doctor.
The court has said the horse should be back on the roads only after its injuries are healed and a medical certificate is issued by the doctor. In the event the horse owner fails to concede to the above directions, the corporation can detain the horse and release it after treatment.
Following earlier directions from the court, the civic body said that 196 out of the 371 horses it surveyed were found in need of medical treatment. The report also stated that the stables were in a pathetic condition and hazardous for the horses.
The court had earlier pulled up the state government for its lack of interest in the rehabilitation of the Victoria horse owners and riders.
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