Guwahati, April 22 -- The Gauhati High Court has directed the Assam government's Home and Political Department to ensure that no buffalo fights (moh juj) are held in the state and to initiate penal action against organisers if such events take place, until further orders.

The interim order was passed by Justice Anjan Moni Kalita on a writ petition filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, India (PETA), which flagged instances of buffalo fights allegedly conducted in several districts of Assam in January this year.

The court observed that such events cannot be permitted under the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and held that their organisation would amount to violation of binding judicial precede...