'Cultural heritage should not be part of judiciary': Supreme Court upholds validity of 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.

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the validity of the Tamil Nadu government’s law allowing Jallikattu, a traditional bull-taming sport in the state. The top court issued a ruling today regarding a number of appeals contesting the rules in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra that support the bull-taming sport.

"We will not disrupt the view of the legislature and since the legislature has taken a view that it is part of the cultural heritage of the state," a five-judge Constitution bench led by Justice K M Joseph said.

“We do not accept the view of Nagaraja that Jallikattu is not a part of the cultural heritage of the State of TN. We do not think that there was sufficient material for the Court to come to that conclusion," the court added.

The Supreme Court further noted that despite the violence inherent in "Jallikattu," it cannot be referred to as a blood sport because no weapons are used and no one participates in the competition with the intention of killing the animal.

The petitions,including one filed by the animal rights body, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), had challenged the Tamil Nadu law which protects ‘Jallikattu’ claiming that the bull-taming sport is a cultural heritage of the state.

A bull-taming sport from Tamil Nadu known as "Jallikattu" or "Eruthazhuvuthal" is very popular in the districts of Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Theni, Pudukkottai, and Dindigul, together referred to as the "Jallikattu belt."  Jallikattu is celebrated in the second week of January, during the Tamil harvest festival, Pongal.