The Supreme Court on Monday, 6 November, issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu government to seek its response to PETA’s plea for a ban on Jallikattu, the state’s bull-taming sport.
The court asked the state government to come up with a response within four weeks of the plea, which challenges the decision of the Tamil Nadu Assembly passing a Bill that makes the sport legal earlier this year, India Today reported.
PETA’s plea to end the sport comes after it was banned by the Supreme Court in 2014. The latter, according to India Today, has grouped the plea with similar requests made by the Animal Welfare Board and a a few NGOs.
Also Read: Read the Arguments and Decide If Jallikattu Ban Is Good or Bad
The Tamil Nadu Assembly lifted the ban after a series of protests broke out in the state, which said the practice was both cultural and traditional. The state government had then claimed that the law legalising it would also ensure that various safety measures are laid out in which the safety of the bulls would be favoured, and the manner in which the sport should be held would be contemplated to great detail as well.
Actor Kamal Haasan had, in the wake of the crisis, defended lift on the ban, stating the sport was an “important part of Tamilian culture.”
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According to ANI, the court had not allowed a stay on the new legislation but had permitted the associations to amend their pending petitions for challenging the law.
(With inputs from India Today and ANI)
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