Supreme Court rejects plea for judgement on Jallikattu
13 Jan 2017 11:08 PM GMT
The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a plea urging it to pass judgement on bull taming sport Jallikattu before the harvest festival of Pongal on Saturday.
A bench comprising justices Dipak Misra and R Banumathi told a group of lawyers, who requested for the verdict, that it is unfair to ask the bench to pass an order.
The apex court, however, said that the draft of judgement has been prepared but it was not possible to deliver it before Saturday when Jallikattu is to be organised.
The court had reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging Centre’s notification allowing the sport.
The court had earlier questioned the Centre for its January 2016 notification allowing use of bulls in events like Jallikattu, saying that its 2014 verdict banning the use of the animals cannot be “negated”.
Supporting the tradition, the Centre has said that it could ensure that bulls are not tortured or subjected to alcohol before the sport. Earlier, the apex court had observed that the country cannot “import Roman gladiator-type sport” as it is against the culture of compassion towards animals.
The court in its 2014 judgement had said that bulls could not be used as performing animals, either for Jallikattu events or bullock-cart races in the states of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra or elsewhere in the country, and had banned their use across the country.
The apex court had also dismissed the review petition against its 2014 verdict.
The apex court had also earlier declared Tamil Nadu Regulation of Jallikattu Act, 2009 as constitutionally void, being violative or Article 254(1) of the Constitution.
On January 8, last year the Centre had issued a notification lifting ban on Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu with certain restrictions, which was challenged in the apex court by Animal Welfare Board of India, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, a Bangalore-based NGO and others.
On July 26, last year the apex court had said that just because the bull-taming sport of Jallikattu was a centuries-old tradition, it could not be justified.
DMK to hold stir against State, Centre today
With the Supreme Court rejecting the plea to pass judgement on Jallikattu before Pongal, DMK on Thursday blamed the Centre and State governments for the development and announced a state-wide stir on Thursday.
DMK blamed both governments for “not taking appropriate, timely steps” to ensure conduct of the event.
Recalling the assurances of both Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan that efforts would be made to conduct the stalled sport, DMK Working President M K Stalin asked, “What answers are they going to give now ? What is going to be their answer to the Tamil Nadu people and the youth?
He wanted Panneerselvam and Radhakrishnan to answer the people on the present situation, adding his party continued to be firm in its stand supporting Jallikattu.
Referring to his party’s January 3 protest in Madurai urging the State and Central governments to take immediate steps to conduct Jallikattu, he said “still both the governments did not give importance to this issue.”
“The Central government did not take any step to promulgate an ordinance to facilitate conduct of Jallikattu,” he said. Stalin said the protest, to be held in all district headquarters, would condemn the State and Central governments for “not taking appropriate, timely steps” to ensure conduct of the rural event.
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