The Supreme Court imposed a stay on holding bull-taming festival Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu this year. Earlier the apex court had heard several petitions against the government order. The Animal Welfare Board had also filed a plea in the Supreme Court against the comeback of Jallikattu.
This comes even as the Tamil Nadu government has welcomed the decision of the central government to lift ban on the festival. State Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his ‘prompt response’ to her government’s appeal for allowing the sport.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, the AIADMK chief had said, “I am very grateful to you for your prompt response in the matter, which has enabled the conduct of Jallikattu.”
The petitions were filed by Aniwal Welfare Board and
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India had also filed a plea in the Supreme Court, demanding that the Centre’s recent notification allowing Jallikattu and bullock cart races be “struck down”.
According to PETA India, a battery of urgent petitions led by the government advisory body Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and two sitting AWBI members as petitioners, and supported by animal protection groups PETA, Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO), Compassion Unlimited plus Action (CUPA), were mentioned before the Chief Justice’s bench of the Supreme Court.
PETA India had pointed that the Environment Ministry’s notification allowing jallikattu and bull races came despite a Supreme Court 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.
