Supreme Court Points Out: Jallikattu Is Old, but so Was Child Marriage

Today, in response to the state of Tamil Nadu’s plea that jallikattu be allowed because it is old, the Honourable Supreme Court reportedly remarked,

“In 1899, ten thousand girls below 12 years of age were married. Should we allow it today because it was a tradition at that time?”

In January, after efforts by PETA and others, the Supreme Court stayed the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change 7 January 2016 Gazette of India notification permitting events such as jallikattu and bull races despite a Supreme Court judgement that categorically held that such events cannot be allowed. This meansthat events such as jallikattu and bull races still cannot be held – for now.The final hearing on the matter is scheduled for 09 November 2016.

In its 2014 judgement, the Supreme Court acknowledged that bulls are anatomically unfit to be made to race, and thus their use in spectacles like jallikattu and bull races is inherently cruel.

Bulls are prey animals, so they are naturally skittish. Jallikattu exploits this by placing them in a terrifying situation in which they are forced to flee people who are acting like predators. The bulls become so panicked by the menacing mob of men who chase and yell at them that they slip and fall, run into barriers and traffic, and even jump off cliffs in a desperate attempt to escape – leading to broken bones and even death.

Also, hundreds of human participants were injured each year jallikattu was permitted, and many were killed. As reported by the media, between 2010 and 2014 alone, approximately 1,100 people sustained injuries and 17 people– including a child – died as a result of cruel and dangerous jallikattu-type events.

You can help. Take action to keep jallikattu banned.