<p>Jallikattu, the bull taming festival, cannot be permitted just because it is a centuries-old tradition, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday. <br /><br /></p>.<p>It said that the practice has to be examined on statutory and constitutional principles.<br />“In 1899, ten thousand girls below 12 years of age were married. Should we allow it today because it was a tradition at that time? It is a constitutional and statutory issue. We definitely will examine whether such a sport is permissible by law or not,” a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and R F Nariman said. <br /><br />The court made the poser as Tamil Nadu’s counsel contended that Jallikattu should be permitted as it showcased a tradition that has been part of the custom and culture of people of the state for 5,000 years. <br /><br />The court put the matter for final hearing on August 23. The bench also made it clear that the matter may be referred to a larger bench if the parties were able to convince its 2014 verdict banning the practice, which also prevailed in Karnataka as “Kambala”, was not legally sustainable.<br /><br />The apex court had in January refused to lift its stay on use of bulls in Tamil Nadu’s Jallikattu festival and rejected a plea that prohibition on the centuries-old tradition would force the farmers rearing the animal to send it to the slaughter house in Kerala. The Union government had, on January 7, passed a notification allowing use of bulls in any sport or event.<br /><br />Acting on a plea by Animal Welfare Board of India and others, the apex court had on May 7, 2014 banned Jallikattu and bullock-cart race organised in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, respectively, saying that right to dignity and fair treatment was not confined to human beings alone, but to animals as well.<br /></p>
<p>Jallikattu, the bull taming festival, cannot be permitted just because it is a centuries-old tradition, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday. <br /><br /></p>.<p>It said that the practice has to be examined on statutory and constitutional principles.<br />“In 1899, ten thousand girls below 12 years of age were married. Should we allow it today because it was a tradition at that time? It is a constitutional and statutory issue. We definitely will examine whether such a sport is permissible by law or not,” a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and R F Nariman said. <br /><br />The court made the poser as Tamil Nadu’s counsel contended that Jallikattu should be permitted as it showcased a tradition that has been part of the custom and culture of people of the state for 5,000 years. <br /><br />The court put the matter for final hearing on August 23. The bench also made it clear that the matter may be referred to a larger bench if the parties were able to convince its 2014 verdict banning the practice, which also prevailed in Karnataka as “Kambala”, was not legally sustainable.<br /><br />The apex court had in January refused to lift its stay on use of bulls in Tamil Nadu’s Jallikattu festival and rejected a plea that prohibition on the centuries-old tradition would force the farmers rearing the animal to send it to the slaughter house in Kerala. The Union government had, on January 7, passed a notification allowing use of bulls in any sport or event.<br /><br />Acting on a plea by Animal Welfare Board of India and others, the apex court had on May 7, 2014 banned Jallikattu and bullock-cart race organised in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, respectively, saying that right to dignity and fair treatment was not confined to human beings alone, but to animals as well.<br /></p>
