The Centre’s notification lifting ban on bull-taming sport Jallikattu during Pongal in Tamil Nadu was on Monday challenged in the Supreme Court (SC). The petitions seeking urgent hearing on the issue were mentioned before a Bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur, which agreed to hear it on Tuesday.
The pleas were filed by Animal Welfare Board of India, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and a Bangalore-based NGO.
The four-year-old ban on holding of Jallikattu was lifted on January 8 by the Narendra Modi government in poll-bound Tamil Nadu with certain restrictions. The decision to allow Jallikattu, days before Pongal begins alongwith bullock cart races in other parts of the country, had come through a government notification despite strong objections raised by animal rights groups.
“...Central Government, hereby specifies that following animals shall not be exhibited or trained as performing animals with effect from the date of publication of this notification, namely bear, monkeys, tigers, panthers, lions and bulls. Provided that bulls may be continued to be exhibited or trained as a performing animal at events such as Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and bullock cart races in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and Gujarat in the manner by customs of any community or practiced traditionally,” the notification had said.
However, the Centre had also put some conditions, saying bullock cart race shall be organised on a track, which shall not exceed 2 km.
In case of Jallikattu, the moment a bull leaves the enclosure, it shall be tamed within a radial distance of 15 metre and it should also be ensured that the bulls are put to proper test to ensure that they are healthy enough to participate in the event. Performance enhancement drugs are not to be administered to the bulls, the notification had said.
The use of bulls in performances was banned by the UPA government in 2011 on the ground that the sport ended in cruelty to the animals.
PETA India said the Environment Ministry’s notification allowing Jallikattu came despite an SC judgement, which held that the Ministry cannot allow these races and cannot modify the notification dated July 11, 2011 (which banned forcing bulls to perform) without consulting the AWBI.
“Terrifying and injuring bulls is abuse, not sport, and this combined with the injuries and deaths of people common at jallikattu events puts a bloody stain on India’s reputation in the eyes of the world. Laws and Supreme Court verdicts need to mean something and we look to the Supreme Court to confirm once again jallikattu and bull races must not be allowed,” said PETA India Chief Functionary Poorva Joshipura.
In December 2015, the AWBI advised the Ministry not to go against the Supreme Court judgement.
PETA said the court had also ruled that cruelty is inherent in these events, as bulls are not anatomically suited for such activities and making them participate is subjecting them to unnecessary pain and suffering, so such events were outlawed.