- A high court in India ruled on Thursday to allow the continuation of the sport of taming bulls of jallikattu, which is celebrated as a cultural heritage in Tamil Nadu but criticized by animal rights groups.
- Animal rights organizations had petitioned the court saying jallikattu is a bloody and dangerous sport, as bulls often attack their riders and bystanders as they try to flee crowded areas.
- The Supreme Court in 2014 found that jallikattu violated animal rights and the cruelty prevention law.
India’s supreme court on Thursday decided to allow the continuation of the taming sport of jallikattu, which is celebrated as a cultural heritage in the southern state of Tamil Nadu but criticized by animal rights groups.
Five judges felt that the state government was taking sufficient steps to reduce the pain and suffering of the animals and ruled that the sport and other bull racing in the country could continue.
Animal rights organizations had petitioned the court saying jallikattu is a bloody and dangerous sport, with bulls often attacking their riders and bystanders as they try to flee crowded areas.
The sport, which dates back centuries, is hugely popular in Tamil Nadu during the four-day Pongal harvest festival in January, where hundreds of bull-jumpers compete in a carnival-like celebration.
As the drums beat and the crowd cheers, a man leaps onto the back of a large bull and grips tightly by its hump as the animal bucks and leaps. If he can last for three jumps or 30 seconds, or a distance of 49 feet, he has a chance to win prizes such as pots, clothes, bicycles, motorcycles or even cars.
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Poorvi Joshipura, a spokesperson for PETA India, said the court’s verdict “makes our country look regressive in the eyes of the world”.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a global animal rights organization, has sued in India’s highest court calling for an end to sport in the country.
Joshipura said the court order came despite people and animals having died and sustained injuries.
A bull attacks the tamers during a traditional festival called Jallikattu, in the village of Allanganallur, near Madurai, in Tamil Nadu state, India, January 17, 2019.
“Since 2017, at least 104 men and children and 33 bulls have died. There will be more deaths,” he said, adding that other countries are moving to ban such sports.
The Supreme Court in 2014 found that jallikattu violated animal rights and the cruelty prevention law.
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Two years later, the federal government trimmed an exception for jallikattu and ox-cart racing from the scope of the PCA. Animal rights organizations then challenged the move in the Supreme Court.
Subsequently, the Tamil Nadu state government also enacted a law stating that it was taking measures to prevent cruelty to animals, paving the way for jallikattu to continue.
On Thursday, the supreme court upheld the actions of the federal and state governments.
