Attempt to revive jallikattu fails, Supreme Court rejects review plea

Yet another attempt by lovers of jallikattu and bullock cart races to revive these sports in Tamil Nadu, mainly during the Pongal festival, failed as the Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to review its May 2014 judgment banning such sports. Last week the apex court stayed the Centre’s January 7 notification permitting jallikattu.

A bench of Justices V. Gopala Gowda and Pinaki Chandra Ghose (who was part of the May 14 verdict) dismissed three review petitions observing “no merits”. Curiously the review petition filed by Tamil Nadu was not taken up by the bench on Thursday.

The petitions were filed by Tamil Nadu Parampariya Veera Vilayattu Mattu Vandi Kaalaigal State Welfare Association, Arulmigu Muppallisamy Temple and Veera Vilaiyaattu Meetppu Kalagam, a group of individuals organised for the retrieval of traditional and adventurous sports of Tamils seeking review of the ban on jallikattu.

They submitted that the court failed to consider that the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act gives rights to one community to kill cows and bulls as part of their religious rights. Yet now Hindus are being denied the right to use our own bulls for Eru-Thazhuvuthal (jallikattu) and other religious festivals, which is manifestly discriminatory under the Constitution.