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Use only native bulls in Jallikattu: Madras HC
A bench of justices N Kirubakaran (since retired) and P Velmurugan on August 18 passed an order to this effect with five directions for the conduct of Jallikattu, and the order copies circulated on Thursday.
The Madras high court on Thursday directed the Tamil Nadu government to ensure that only native breeds of bulls are allowed to participate in Jallikattu, prohibiting the use of imported, hybrid or crossbreeds for the sport.
In 2014, the Supreme Court had banned the event following an appeal by the Animal Welfare Board of India and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). But political parties and sections of people in the state rallied behind the sport, saying that Jallikattu is part of Tamil Nadu’s tradition and culture and it should continue.
In 2017, huge protests erupted across the state for the ban against Jallikattu to be lifted. The Tamil Nadu government unanimously enacted legislation to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, to preserve the cultural heritage and ensure survival and continuance of native breeds of bulls.
Citing that the very purpose of the legislation was to persevere heritage and culture, for which western breeds shouldn’t be used, public interest litigation (PIL) was filed in 2019 in the Madras high court seeking only native bulls be used and groomed as Jallikattu is played in Tamil Nadu since the Sangam era. A bench of justices N Kirubakaran (since retired) and P Velmurugan on August 18 passed an order to this effect with five directions for the conduct of Jallikattu, and the order copies circulated on Thursday.
“The intention of the Act is to preserve and protect the native breeds of bulls,” the court said. “The adjective ‘native’ identifies and classifies distinctly indigenous breeds of bulls only and it excludes other types of bulls like hybrid and imported bulls. Hence, the provision of law should be strictly interpreted giving restrictive meaning to ‘native breeds of bulls’.”
The court further directed the concerned authorities to get a certificate from veterinary doctors to certify and ensure that the participating bulls are native breeds only. They shall encourage bull owners and farmers to groom native breeds by way of subsidy or incentives. The court also pointed out that native breeds of bulls alone have got the hump, which is a necessity for a bull to participate so that the tamer can either cling or embrace the animal by holding on to the hump for 30 seconds or run with the bull for 15 meters or sustain three jumps of the bull.
Jallikattu is usually played during the harvest festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu in January and earlier this year the state government permitted it by following Covid-19 protocols.
