A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the Tamil Nadu government’s law allowing bull-taming sport ‘Jallikattu’ in the state, reported Bar and Bench.
“We will not disrupt the view of the legislature and since legislature has taken a view that it is part of the cultural heritage of the state. In the preamble it is declared as a part of culture and heritage of TN,” the bench headed by K M Joseph said.
The bench, also comprising justices Ajay Rastogi, Aniruddha Bose, Hrishikesh Roy and C T Ravikumar, delivered its verdict on a batch of pleas challenging the Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra laws allowing “Jallikattu” and bullock-cart races.
“Even if we proceed on the basis of the fact that legislature is best suited to decide if traditions involving animal can be allowed, if it violates any penal statute, such traditions cannot be allowed to be followed,” the five-judge bench added.
All writ petitions have been dismissed by the bench as well as appeal and transfer cases have also been disposed off.
“Jallikattu”, also known “eruthazhuvuthal”, is a bull-taming sport played in the “Jallikattu belt” of Tamil Nadu, comprising of Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Theni, Pudukkottai and Dindigul districts, during the Pongal harvest festival.
In 2017, the Tamil Nadu government had released an ordinance allowing ‘Jallikattu’ in the state, which was later ratified by the President. Animal rights body PETA challenged the state’ move, saying it was unconstitutional. A year later, the Supreme Court said that the petitions challenging the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act, 2017, needed to be decided by a larger bench as it involved questions relating to the interpretation of the Constitution.