History, Court Rulings, and Controversy: Jallikattu

Jallikattu was a sport that was practised in Tamil Nadu on the day of Pongal as a ritual celebration. This is a game of the bull-taming event, and this is also known as Mattu Pongal day. The term Jallikattu is derived from the word kali kapu, which implies coins, and kattu indicates a package, where people win the prize money which is attached to the bull’s horn. 

Jallikattu is also termed Manju virattu. In this Pongal celebration event, bulls are considered because they are given precedence over the cows as they only help in the cultivation process in the field also and they only mate with the cows and produce more of their offspring and attain more milk from them.   

What Happens to the Bulls on Jallikattu?

Bulls are being used as a taming prop and they are taken to the place where the celebration of Pongal and rituals takes place. The bulls need to be stopped by the person, and they are awarded by the coins which are sometimes attached to the bull’s horns.

History of Jallikattu:

The practice of Jallikattu is not recent but has been practised for so many years and this day has been defined by the seal, which shows that this event has been exercised for more than 2500 years. The seal depicts the ancient history of jallikattu.  There are paintings over the sea where a man is trying to and a bull. The pictures tell the history of this bull-taming event from the time before 2500 years. The epics of Tamil also refer to the other people enjoying this bull taming and taking part in Jallikattu. Jallikattu has a reference in one of the great epics from the classical period that is named Silappatikaram.

Why Is It So Controversial?

This ritual in Pongal celebration is against the law where an animal is getting tamed by human beings; not only that, but the common blood sport causes many injuries and even deaths. From the past event in this festival, it was reported that there were about 1000 injuries and 18 deaths that occurred from 2010-2014 to the event of Jallikattu.

Over the past two years, there have been more than 200 deaths from the blood sport.Also, the animals are getting harmed in jallikattu, which is against the PETA and other laws made for animal rights. 

Who Wants to Ban Jallikattu and Why?

Many animal activists including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are trying to ban this practise of jallikattu and have registered many complaints against this ritual practice. 

AWBI (Animal Welfare Board of India) was the first to file a case in the supreme court against this practice of Jallikattu. The Supreme Court banned Jallikattu. The reasons why they banned were:

• Bulls are often placed as prey or show for the people to enjoy this practice. They were made to run from a crowd of people who were trying to harm the bull. The bull can get injuries in this, and even they get terrified, jump off the barriers, and cause serious injuries.
• Also, the bulls may get harmed by knives, sticks, chilli powder, etc.

SC’s Verdict on Jallikattu:

When the Union Environment Ministry started getting complaints and notifications from the PETA and the other animal activists against this blood sport of bull-taming, the Supreme Court started thinking about this matter. On November 27, 2010, the practice of jallikattu was allowed with the permission of the Supreme court. Yet, in the year 2011, the Union Environment Ministry under the UPA established the statement banning the bull’s usage in the jallikattu practice on the day of the festival. 

But again, it was enabled by the elections in Tamil Nadu with the regulation of the Jallikattu Act 2009. After this, so many injuries happened between 2010 and 2014 and many people were killed during this blood sports festival. Then In May 2014, a judgment by the judiciary prohibited the use of bulls in the Jallikattu celebration of Pongal. As mentioned, this act is an offence under the law. The Supreme court has established the statement of banning the practice of the game event in the name of ritual- jallikattu. In January 2016, the Supreme Court kept the union environment ministry notification as PETA  and other activists challenged this practice. Because of this, the process of this jallikattu case is still ongoing as the court has not decided anything on this matter.

Why Were There Arguments for Continuing Jallikattu?

The farmers find a way of showcasing their bull’s strength and how much they have cared for their animals. Tamil people perform Jallikattu to show their love for the bull and that the bull is a part of their family member and therefore establish an identity of their bull by flaunting their strength and showing how hardworking and powerful Tamil people are. They were against it as once it was banned, they had to abandon the raising of their bulls, which they didn’t want because of their field. 

Conclusion

This blood sport of bull-taming is a practice against the animal’s rights, but the case has not been resolved. No one can harm any person or human for a ritual. So if jallikattu is part of the ritual and relates to people’s feelings, it should be practised by keeping and protecting human beings and animals.