SC calls bullfight dangerous, wants strict measures
Terming the traditional bullfight or Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu as a money-spinning industry with little regard for human safety or animal welfare, the Supreme Court has asked the Animal Welfare Board (AWB) and Tamil Nadu to explore stringent measures to deter people from patronising the event.
A Bench of Justices R V Raveendran and H L Gokhale last week said the state government and the AWB ought to debate possibilities to raise the advance deposit to Rs 20 lakh from the present Rs 2 lakh to
curb the sport. The deposit would be used by the state to compensate for the human casualties which occurred during the event.
The court, in its order on June 9, further said that the government should restrict the period of the event to two months on an annual basis. Currently, bullfights are organised from January to May every year. Both authorities have to get back to the SC with their opinions within the next four weeks.
“It has become an industry. We do not know whether people are making money. It should not have even spread towards summer but it is extending towards the monsoon,” the bench said. “Think of the danger to human beings. The bulls become ferocious and run amock after they are fed liquor. This must be restricted to two months.”
The apex court’s remarks came after Solicitor General of India Gopal Subramaniam submitted that the state had come out with Tamil Nadu Regulation of Jallikattu Act -2009 to restrict the sport. He said that 129 spots have been identified for conducting bullfights, but last year only 46 were used for the simple reason that many organisers were unable to afford the deposit of Rs 2 lakh.
Holding the event on an un-notified area would also invite imprisonment of one year, he demonstrated the government’s cause.
The court, however, said bullfights should be restricted to January and February during the Pongal (Tamil New Year) season. The hearing was on a PIL filed seeking a ban on the sport as it endangered human lives and also amounted to cruelty on animals.