Tamil Nadu’s Review Petition against Jallikattu judgment dismissed by Supreme Court

The Supreme Court today dismissed the review petition filed by the State of Tamil Nadu against the Supreme Court judgment of 2014 which outlawed the centuries old practice on the grounds that it amounted to cruelty, and was therefore “constitutionally impermissible”..Jalikattu is a centuries old tradition that has bulls compete in what is a sporting spectacle..The matter was heard by special Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Rohinton Nariman today..During the hearing, Senior Advocate Shekhar Naphade, who appeared for Tamil Nadu, relied on the interpretation of Section 21 of Chapter V of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, for which he alleged, “the sale of tickets for watching the sport is of the essence”. Since Jalllikattu did not rely on the sale of tickets for viewership, it would land squarely outside the purview of Chapter V..He also argued that it was indeed true that, in some cases, the animals might have been tortured, but that was not the essence of the festival, but merely the mistakes of a few people. He urged the Court to refrain from banning the entire sport for the infractions of a few individuals..On the other hand, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for the Animal Welfare Board, advanced the view that the practice of ‘Jalikattu’ was solely for the purpose of entertainment, and the animals should not be made to suffer for it. This was in reply to the State’s contention that the sport served an agricultural purpose as well..The Bench chose to side with Singhvi’s arguments, observing that ‘Jalikattu’ was neither a religious ceremony that would allow it to take shelter under Article 25, nor was it an “agricultural practice”; instead it observed that it was a sport that, knowingly or not, caused a great deal of suffering upon the animals. The Bench, therefore, dismissed the review petition..Meanwhile, various other writ petitions challenging the Centre’s notification, exempting Jallikattu from the scope of exhibition or training of animals, were also listed for hearing today. These petitions have been adjourned for December..The Court had already stayed the notification on January 12 this year and that the stay will continue..Image taken from here.