Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pass an ordinance allowing the bull-taming sport jallikattu to be played in Tamil Nadu, reported The Times of India. Jayalalithaa wrote to Modi hours after the Supreme Court banned the sport and stayed the Centre's notification allowing it to be played this year. "On behalf of the people of Tamil Nadu, I urge you to take immediate action," Jayalalithaa is reported to have written in her letter.
The apex court also issued notices to the Centre, Tamil Nadu, and other states that organise the sport, ANI reported. The court was hearing several petitions appealing against the Centre’s decision to allow the sport in Tamil Nadu. The move comes before the festival of Pongal which begins on January 14. Jallikattu is a traditional part of Pongal celebrations.
The four-year-old ban was lifted by the Centre through a notification last week. Subsequently, various animal welfare groups including the Animal Welfare Board of India and People for Ethical Treatment of Animals filed pleas against the Centre's decision.
The matter was heard by Justice Dipak Mishra after Justice R Bhanumathi recused herself from hearing the case earlier in the day. She had earlier banned the sport during her tenure as a judge on the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court.
Contempt pleas were also filed, which argue that the lifting of the jallikattu ban is a violation of the 2014 order by the Supreme Court. The court in 2014 held that animals were harmed during jallikattu and struck down a notification from the Tamil Nadu government on it. The court also made jallikattu an offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
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