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Jallikattu: Centre's Notification Allowing Bull Taming Sport Challenged In SC

Centre's Notification Allowing Jallikattu Challenged In SC
Indian youth attempt to catch a bull during a bull-taming festival known as Jallikattu at Palamedu Village near Madurai, some 500 kms south of Chennai, on January 16, 2011. The event was held as part of Tamil New Year 'Ponggal' celebrations. AFP/STR (Photo credit should read STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)
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Indian youth attempt to catch a bull during a bull-taming festival known as Jallikattu at Palamedu Village near Madurai, some 500 kms south of Chennai, on January 16, 2011. The event was held as part of Tamil New Year 'Ponggal' celebrations. AFP/STR (Photo credit should read STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images)

NEW DELHI -- The Centre's notification lifting ban on bull taming sport Jallikattu during the festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu was today challenged in the Supreme Court.

The petitions seeking urgent hearing on the issue were mentioned before a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur which agreed to hear it tomorrow.

The pleas were filed by Animal Welfare Board of India, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and a Bangalore-based NGO.

The four-year-old ban on holding of Jallikattu was lifted on 8 January by the Modi government in poll-bound Tamil Nadu with certain restrictions.

The decision to allow Jallikattu, days before traditional harvest festival Pongal begins along with bullock cart races in other parts of the country, had come through a government notification despite strong objections by animal rights groups.

Jallikattu also known Eruthazhuvuthal is a bull taming sport played in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal day.

"...Central Government, hereby specifies that following animals shall not be exhibited or trained as performing animals with effect from the date of publication of this notification, namely bears, monkeys, tigers, panthers, lions and bulls. Provided that bulls may be continued to be exhibited or trained as a performing animal, at events such as Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and bullock cart races in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and Gujarat in the manner by customs of any community or practiced traditionally," the notification had said.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.