Lawyers, petitioners laud SC’s stay on ‘Jallikattu’

New Delhi: Lawyers and petitioners, who fought for the quashing of ‘Jallikattu’, on Tuesday expressed happiness over the Supreme Court’s order to stay the Centre’s notification of lifting the ban on the traditional bull-fighting sport of Tamil Nadu.

“The SC has issued notice to all state governments and the Centre. We had asked for the notification to be quashed, and the court stayed that notification. So, no bullfight or bullock-cart race will take place now,” lawyer Aparna Bhatt told ANI.

Gauri Maulekhi, who was one of the petitioners, along with Sowmya Reddy, Radha Rajan and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), said the Centre’s notification was completely faulty on legal and ethical grounds.

“We are extremely happy, because the notification was completely faulty on legal and ethical grounds. Legally, because there was a comprehensive order by the apex court, which earlier prohibited Jallikattu. Basically, the cruelty in the sport cannot be prevented, which is inherent in the sport itself,” one of the petitioners Gauri Maulekhi told ANI.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the Centre’s notification, lifting the ban on jallikattu – the traditional bull-fighting sport of Tamil Nadu.

Last week, the Centre had lifted the ban on the sport circumventing a Supreme Court ruling of May 2014.

The apex court has also issued notices to the Centre, Tamil Nadu and other states, where ‘Jallikattu’ is played.

The Centre’s notification that sought to lift the ban on Jallikattu during the festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu was challenged in the Supreme Court on Monday.

The petitions were filed by Animal Welfare Board of India, (PETA) India and a Bangalore-based NGO.

The four-year-old ban on holding of Jallikattu was lifted on January 8 by the Centre with some riders.

PETA had last week criticised the Central Government’s decision to permit events such as Jallikattu and bull races in Tamil Nadu. (ANI)