Withdrawing 2016 Jallikattu Notification: Centre To SC

The Supreme Court was informed by the Centre today that it is withdrawing its 2016 notification allowing Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu in view of the fresh legislation passed by the state assembly on the issue.

“I am under instructions to inform the honourable court that the Centre has decided to withdraw the January 6, 2016 notification issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forest allowing the sport”, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told a bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra.

The court has already reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the notification.

The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has passed the Jallikattu Bill, 2017. Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao has forwarded the Bill to President Pranab Mukherjee who gave his assent.

Two days ago, the Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Department of Tamil Nadu Government had framed Tamil Nadu Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Conduct of Jallikattu) Rules, 2017.

THE BACKGROUND

On January 20, acting on a submission by Rohatgi, SC had agreed not to pass judgement for a week on the contentious issue

The bench took into account the Centre's submission that they were in talks with Tamil Nadu to find a way out in the matter.

During an urgent mentioning, Rohatgi said “ people of Tamil Nadu are passionate about Jallikattu and the Central government and the state are trying to resolve the issue. The Centre and the state are in talks to find a way out in the matter and our request is that the court should not deliver the judgement for at least a week”

THE TRIGGER

Thousands of students gathered on the sands of Marina Beach in Chennai as protests demanding lifting of the ban on bull-taming sport 'jallikattu' snowballed across Tamil Nadu. Faced with mounting anger on the streets, the top brass of the state government got into a huddle as Chief Minister O Panneerselvam decided met Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an ordinance for conduct of the age-old sport. He was accompanied by 51 MPs of AIADMK. He appealed to the students to give up their protests even as IT sector employees and several more actors joined the chorus for allowing 'jallikattu'.

This article has been made possible because of financial support from Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation.