SC rejects Jallikattu plea for early order, protests erupt in Tamil Nadu
A leading Jallikattu organiser told The Indian Express that they have decided to organise the sport this year even if it meant going against the apex court ruling.
Jallikattu ban: The Supreme Court had in November reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions, challenging the Centre’s notification allowing the use of bulls in Jallikattu. (File Photo)
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The Supreme Court on Thursday shot down a plea for delivering its judgment on bull-taming sport Jallikattu before the harvest festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu on Saturday. This was followed by protests across Tamil Nadu, with some organisers saying they will organise the sport despite the apex court ruling. A bench led by Justice Dipak Misra told a group of lawyers, who pleaded the court for an early verdict, that it was “completely unfair to ask the bench to pass an order by a particular date”. The bench said the draft of the judgment was ready but it was not possible to deliver it before Saturday when Jallikattu is to be organised. The court had in November reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions, challenging the Centre’s notification allowing the use of bulls in Jallikattu.
WATCH VIDEO | DMK Workers Stage Protest Against Ban On Jallikattu
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During a hearing in November, the bench had observed that it cannot allow “Roman gladiator-type sports in India”. The court had added that prima facie Jallikattu involves cruelty against animals. Following the Supreme Court ruling on Thursday, students in large numbers hit the streets in Coimbatore and Trichy. A students’ march in Madurai, known for Jallikattu events, turned violent and police resorted to lathi-charge to control the situation. A leading Jallikattu organiser told The Indian Express that they have decided to organise the sport this year even if it meant going against the apex court ruling.
He said, “We have been law-abiding citizens for long. But this time, the Supreme Court too joined the anti-Jallikattu group by refusing to pass the order before January 14. If Kerala can disobey the apex court in the Mullaperiyar issue and Karnataka can defy its order in the Cauvery water issue, why should Tamil Nadu alone obey the Centre’s and the Supreme Court’s biased stand against Tamil culture and people’s sentiments?”
WATCH VIDEO | Jallikattu Organisers Defiant, Say They Will Organise Sport Despite Supreme Court Ruling
Balakumar Somu, a leading supporter of Jallikattu, accused the Centre and the judiciary of taking a biased stand. “When the Supreme Court blindly admitted video evidence from animal rights groups, it forgot two crucial things: these activists neither have a stake in peasants’ life nor a clue about how bulls are part-and-parcel of peasants’ lives. The apex court did not engage a third party to probe the allegations but accepted doctored evidences submitted by animal rights groups,” he said. “Also, there was zero effort from the Centre or Supreme Court to find a middle ground by engaging the Tamil community and two animal organisations to correct alleged wrong practices,” Somu added.
Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express. Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority.
Expertise
Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews.
Key Coverage Areas:
State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor.
Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties.
Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu.
Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail.
His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism.
Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read More
