SC to hear petitions on Jallikattu on January 31

The Supreme Court on Friday said it would consider the Centre’s plea as well as other petitions relating to Jallikattu on January 31.

A bench presided over by Justice Dipak Misra posted the petitions for Tuesday after Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi mentioned that the Union government has filed an application seeking to withdraw its January 7, 2016 notification, facilitating Jallikattu.

The court also posted a writ petition filed by advocate G S Mani for consideration, in which he urged rejection of a plea by Anjali Sharma, advocate and member of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), challenging the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment), Ordinance, 2017 (Tamil Nadu Ordinance 1 of 2017).
The ordinance provides for the conduct of Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu.

Mani also sought direction for contempt proceedings against Sharma for “playing fraud” on the court as AWBI Secretary M Ravikumar, in a letter, had stated that if at all any petition had been filed, it would be withdrawn.

OPS: terror outfits infiltrated protest
Two days after violence erupted in Tamil Nadu following a clash between the Jallikattu protesters and police, Chief Minister O Panneerselvam claimed that “certain terror outfits and anti-national elements intruded the final stage of the agitation to divert the focus of the peace protest”, DHNS reports.

Panneerselvam said these anti-social elements also displayed photographs and posters of Osama bin Laden, with slogans like “Republic Day, a black day for us”.