HC permits cock fight during Pongal festival, restrains from playing communal songs

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court granted permission to conduct cock fight during the celebration of the Pongal festival and restrained from playing songs praising communal leaders or having communal overtones.

Petitioner A.Sakthivel from Thiruvallur moved the Madras High Court seeking to grant police protection for conducting cock fight at Kallamedu village, Pallipattu Taluk, Thiruvallur during the Pongal festival.

The case was listed before Justice N Anand Venkatesh.

The petitioner submitted that the Pallipatu police refused to grant permission to conduct the cock fight for celebrating the Pongal festival.

It was also contended that in the previous year, permission was granted to conduct the cock fight and assured this year also it will be conducted in a smooth manner without causing any law and order problems.

Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) A Damodaran submitted that the police anticipated a law and order problem since many who participate in the event will be under the influence of alcohol.

Further, there is also a likelihood of caste being the reason for the law and order problem, said the APP.

After all the submissions the judge granted permission to conduct cock fight and directed the Superintendent of Police Thiruvallur to supervise the event, if any law or problem created, the police should stop the entire event and take action against the concerned persons in accordance with the law.

The judge also directed that the birds should not be intoxicated, with any alcoholic substance and no knives should be tied around the legs of the birds, with the tips of the knives dipped in poisonous substances.

The organizer should not erect flex boards or hoardings depicting a particular community or leader and no songs played praising communal leaders, observed the judge.