The jallikattu case in the Supreme Court is closed. Here’s why

The Centre has said it will withdraw its 2016 notification on jallikattu, effectively closing the case in the apex court.
The jallikattu case in the Supreme Court is closed. Here’s why
The jallikattu case in the Supreme Court is closed. Here’s why
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In a series of coordinated moves that resemble a tag-team, the Centre together with the Tamil Nadu government has managed to close the lone jallikattu case in the Supreme Court.

A day after Tamil Nadu Assembly passed the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act, 2017, the Centre stated that it will withdraw its 2016 notification that allowed the conduct of jallikattu. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi informed the Supreme Court that the Centre will file an application seeking to its January 7, 2016 notification.

The Supreme Court was supposed to give its verdict in the case this week, but the Centre’s move has rendered the case infructuous.

On January 7, 2016, the BJP government at the Centre had issued an executive order that allowed the conduct of the bull-taming sport by making an exception to “events such as jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and bullock cart races in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and Gujarat in the manner by the customs of any community or practiced traditionally under the customs or as a part of culture”.

However, after animal rights groups challenged the executive order, the Supreme Court stayed the Centre’s notification asking, “What is the necessity of such kind of festival?”

The apex court had on December 7 reserved its verdict in the case. On January 12, the SC had refused to pronounce its verdict ahead of the harvest festival when jallikattu is traditionally conducted, stating that it was unfair to ask the bench to pass an order.

Following the large scale protests at Alanganallur, Marina beach and the rest of Tamil Nadu, the Centre had approached the court on January 20 requesting the top court to postpone its judgement to prevent further unrest in the state. The Supreme Court had agreed to postpone its verdict by a week.

The Tamil Nadu government then hurriedly promulgated an ordinance lifting the ban on jallikattu on Saturday, after receiving the assent of the Home Ministry, the President and the Governor.

On Monday, Chief Minister O Panneerselvam tabled the jallikattu bill in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, which was then passed unanimously by the House, making the bull-taming sport legal once again.

The Supreme Court had in May 2014 banned jallikattu on the grounds of torture and cruelty to the bulls.

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