Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Jallikattu to be held in all three states, SUPREME Court upholds legality

New Delhi: Jallikattu is as dangerous as Spain’s ‘San Farmin’ or running with bulls or ‘bull riding’ in America. There have been several tragic accidents in the past. Still, good news for Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The Supreme Court has upheld the validity of Jallikattu. On Thursday, a bench of judges of the apex court said that the laws of the states on Jallikattu are valid.

Jallikattu is also known as ‘Eruthazhuvathal’. In Tamil Nadu, bull-man play is seen as part of pongal, the harvest festival. It is very popular in the two southern states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The game is also prevalent in Maharashtra. Jallikattu is legal in all three states. However, animal rights organisation PETA (PETA) had filed a case in the apex court alleging animal violence. In the previous hearing, the supreme court had said that a larger bench of judges could consider the validity of the Tamil Nadu government’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Act, 2017. The five-judge bench also raises five important questions for the larger bench.
On Jallikattu, the apex court observed that while the game is cruel, it cannot be called a blood game. Because no one uses weapons. However, accidents cause bleeding. The game is brutal, but no one tries to kill the animal. A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi, Aniruddha Bose, Hrishikesh Roy and C C Ravikumar observed that even if there is death in the game, it cannot be called a ‘game of blood’. Finally, a five-judge bench headed by Justice KM Joseph upheld the validity of Jallikattu.