PUNE: The conduct of bullock-cart races and all performances of bulls have been a regular feature as an entertainment sport in rural Maharashtra, including Pune district.Disposing of a bunch of petitions from Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra regarding bull-taming sport 'Jallikattu' and bullock cart races, the apex court bench of Justices K S Radhakrishnan and Pinaki Chandra Ghose upheld a July 11, 2011, notification of the ministry of environment and forest that banned exhibition or training of bulls as performing animals.The apex court also set aside the March 9, 2007, judgment of the Madurai bench of the Madras high court and upheld the March 12, 2012, judgment of the Bombay high court banning bullock cart races.Last year, bullock-cart races were held in Maharashtra following the Supreme Court's conditional approval, which had sought adherence to a set of guidelines to ensure that no act of cruelty or pain was inflicted upon the animals used in such races. The court was then seized of four special leave petitions that had challenged the Bombay high court verdicts of March 12, 2012 and November 26, 2012, which had dismissed a review plea.Shirur MP Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil, the Khed Taluka Chalak Malak Sangh and one Prabhakar Sapate were among those who had filed the petitions in the apex court.In Pune, bullock-cart races are regularly held in Bhosari, Khed and the adjoining rural areas. These events are also a key feature of the Pune Festival organized during the Ganapati festival.The organizers have justified these races on the grounds that they are being held for over 300 years as a tradition and often attract large number of people, generate revenue for the state and provide enjoyment to participants. They had also argued that the sport could be regulated but not banned, citing the Tamil Nadu Regulation of Jallikattu (TNRJ)However, animal welfare activists have pointed to the untold miseries, including cruelty and pain, inflicted upon the bulls/bullocks during these races and have argued that these acts violate the rights of animals guaranteed under the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsOn Wednesday, the apex court held that the TNRJ Act, which confers rights on the organizers and bull tamers to conduct 'Jallikattu', is inconsistent and in direct collision with the provisions of the PCA Act and Articles 51A (g) and (h) of the Constitution. "The TNRJ Act is repugnant to the PCA Act, which is a welfare legislation, and hence is declared unconstitutional and void, being violative of Article 254 (1) of the Constitution of India," the court ruled.The court went on to uphold the Animal Welfare Board of India's contention that 'Jallikattu', bullock cart races and such events violate the PCA Act provisions.