The judgment was delivered by the Division Bench of Justices A S Oka and A K Menon on a petition by the Animals and Birds Charitable Trust. The petitioners contended that the horses were forced to overwork.

The bench termed that the use of horse carriages for joyrides is illegal and granted one year to the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) to implement the complete ban.

In Mumbai, the decorated horse-driven carriages are used for joyrides at Marine Drive and other beaches.

The court also directed the state government to identify the number of families whose livelihoods were connected with the running of horse carriages and come up with schemes for their rehabilitation by December 2015. The government would also have to formulate schemes for rehabilitation of the animals.

After the expiry of the one-year period, the MCGM would have to close down all the stables meant for horses and ponies and take action under the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.