Despite Supreme Court ban, a defiant Madurai conducts Jallikattu

Madurai: While opposition parties in Tamil Nadu are protesting the government’s failure to revoke the ban on Jallikattu, defiant citizens of Madurai have gone a step ahead and conducted the bull-taming sport on Friday.

The sport was held in an open ground in Karisalkulam village for a few minutes, a police official said. Around five bulls were let loose in the ground to protest against the court verdict, he said, adding no arrests have been made.

Tension prevailed in the village as the organisers of the game continued to make arrangements for "Manju Virattu" (another form of bull-taming sport) and heated exchanges were witnessed between the police and the locals, they said.

Talks are on to persuade the organisers to cancel the game, police said, adding they would be forced to arrest the organisers if they were adamant to hold the game.

This comes just a day after the Supreme Court announced that it would not pass a judgement on bull taming sport Jallikattu before the harvest festival of Pongal on Saturday.

A bench comprising justices Dipak Misra and R Banumathi told a group of lawyers, who requested for the verdict, that it is unfair to ask the bench to pass an order.

The apex court, however, said that the draft of judgement has been prepared but it was not possible to deliver it before Saturday when Jallikattu is to be organised.

The court had reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging Centre's notification allowing the sport.

The court had earlier questioned the Centre for its January 2016 notification allowing use of bulls in events like Jallikattu, saying that its 2014 verdict banning the use of the animals cannot be "negated".

Supporting the tradition, the Centre has said that it could ensure that bulls are not tortured or subjected to alcohol before the sport.

Earlier, the apex court had observed that the country cannot "import Roman gladiator-type sport" as it is against the culture of compassion towards animals.