Rama Krishna Sangem
“Jallikattu” is much more than a bull sport for people of Tamil Nadu. They see this sport as a Tamil pride and reflection of their thousands of years of human as well as animal virility. When it was banned by a division bench of Supreme Court nine years ago, there were huge protests, some even turning against all those who opposed the sport. Open defiance rallies were held on beaches of Madras and southern districts of Tamil Nadu.
The SC has done a good job by allowing Jallikattu, bull taming sport popular in Tamil Nadu. In a judgement by a five member constitution bench headed by Justice KM Joseph, the apex court has maintained that law cannot decide issues pertaining to cultural heritage and tradition.
This is a unanimous verdict where other four justices Ajay Rastogi, Aniruddha Bose, Hrishikesh Roy and CT Ravi Kumar too concurred with the view allowing this age old sport in rural areas of Tamil Nadu and parts of Karnataka won’t harm bulls in a targeted fashion.
Animal Rights groups oppose
We know that some animal rights groups including PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) have opposed Jallikattu since 2014 on the grounds that it was a blood sport and causes death of both humans as well as bulls, in the name of taming them. Moreover, this sport causes agony to bulls which are terrified by the mobs that chase them with heavy noise and sounds.
In 2014, then AIADMK government brought a law permitting the sport. A division bench of SC set aside the law and banned the sport across the country. Union Environment ministry issued notification banning all forms of bull related sports – Jallikattu and bullock cart races in Maharashtra, etc. This issue was dragged on in the apex court for the last several years, and finally it got a verdict.
At the same time, it is also the duty of the government to create awareness among people, especially the youth, about rights of bulls, and other animals. Of course, Prevention of Cruelty Against Act 1960 is there to guide on this. Even organisers of Jallikattu too should be educated to see that bulls are not harmed, both physically and biologically, in the name of sport.
