SC upholds validity of Jallikattu: here’s all you need to know about Tamil Nadu’s traditional bull-taming sport

“We will not disrupt the view of the legislature and since legislature has taken a view that it is part of the cultural heritage of the state. In the preamble it is declared as a part of culture and heritage of TN,” the bench said as quoted by Bar and Bench.

Here’s all you need to know about Jallikattu

1. 01

   What is Jallikattu?

   Jallikattu, also known as "Eruthazhuvuthal", is a bull-taming sport from Tamil Nadu, popular in Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Theni, Pudukkottai and Dindigul districts — known as the Jallikattu belt. Jallikattu is celebrated in the second week of January, during the Tamil harvest festival, Pongal.

2. 02

   Why is Jallikattu important in Tamil culture?

   A tradition over 2,000 years old, Jallikattu is a competitive sport as well as an event to honour bull owners who rear them for mating. It is a violent sport in which contestants try to tame a bull for a prize; if they fail, the bull owner wins the prize.

3. 03

   Why celebrate Jallikattu?

   At a time when cattle breeding is often an artificial process, conservationists and peasants argue that Jallikattu is a way to protect these male animals which are otherwise used only for meat if not for ploughing.

4. 04

   Why has Jallikattu been subject to legal battles?

   The legal battles surrounding animal rights issues emerged in the early 1990s. Jallikattu first came under legal scrutiny in 2007 when the Animal Welfare Board of India and the animal rights group PETA moved petitions in the Supreme Court against the sport as well as bullock cart races. The Tamil Nadu government, however, worked its way out of the ban by passing a law in 2009, which was signed by the Governor.

5. 05

   Centre, SC ban on Jallikattu

   In 2011, the UPA regime at the Centre added bulls to the list of animals whose training and exhibition is prohibited. In May 2014, the Supreme Court banned the bull-taming sport, ruling on a petition that cited the 2011 notification.

6. 06

   2017 Jallikattu protests in Tamil Nadu

   A year later, in 2015, the apex court also dismissed the Tamil Nadu government’s plea calling for a recall of its verdict. In January 2017, months after the death of then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, massive protests erupted across Tamil Nadu against the ban, with Chennai city witnessing a 15-day-long Jallikattu uprising.

7. 07

   Tamil Nadu govt's ordinance on Jallikattu

   The same year, the government released an ordinance amending the central Act and allowing Jallikattu in the state; this was later ratified by the President. Animal rights body PETA challenged the state move, arguing it was unconstitutional.

8. 08

   Which are the parties who have filed petitions against the sport?

   Parties in the case are the Animal Welfare Board, PETA, CUPA, Federation Of Indian Animal Protection Organisations and Animal Equality, Union of India and the State of Tamil Nadu. They filed some petitions, challenging the amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act passed by the TN Assembly.

9. 09

   Matter transferred to larger bench

   In 2018, the court said that the petitions challenging the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act, 2017, needed to be decided by a larger bench since they involved substantial questions relating to the interpretation of the Constitution.

10. 10

    What SC said in December 2022

    In December 2022, the five-judge bench asked the state whether an animal can be used, as in “jallikattu”, for the entertainment of humans. It had said though cruelty may be involved in the sport, people do not take part in the event to kill the animal.