Jallikattu notifications stayed, Alanganallur tense

A bench, comprising justices Dipak Misra and N V Ramana, of the apex court issued a stay while hearing a bunch of petitions filed by animal welfare groups and individuals challenging the Centre’s notification. “As an interim measure, we direct that there shall be stay of notification dated January 7, 2016, issued by Ministry of Environment and Forest,” the bench said and issued notices to the MoEF and TN and returnable by four weeks. 

At Alanganallur, as the news of the stay broke out, tension gripped the region with residents coming out on streets and resorting to a wild cat road blockade defying police orders. All shops in Alanganallur and neighbouring villages downed shutters. Road traffic was severely hit bringing life to a halt. Residents have vowed to continue their protests on Wednesday also.  Police have been posted in sensitive areas as a precautionary measure. 

Several parties in Tamil Nadu have expressed their disappointment over the SC stay on the notification. Earlier during the day, a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur referred the petitions to the present bench as one of the judges Justice Banumathi, who hailed from Tamil Nadu, recused  from hearing the batch of petitions. The Centre’s notification lifting ban on jallikattu in Tamil Nadu was challenged in the Supreme Court on Monday by AWBI, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India and a Bangalore NGO. The ban on holding of jallikattu was lifted on Jan 8 by the Centre in pollbound Tamil Nadu with certain restrictions. 

Meanwhile, PETA India termed the SC stay as “partial victory” for bulls. PETA India also said the stay, which comes as a birthday gift on its 16th anniversary, will also spare the animal from cruelties and save countless people at such events this year.