In Tamil Nadu’s Pudukkottai, there was a Jallikattu event that resulted in up to 29 injuries. The injured people were admitted to the medical college in Thanjavur. Yeruthazhuvuthal, another name for jallikattu, is a bull-taming sport that is practiced in Tamil Nadu as a component of the Pongal harvest celebration.
This year’s festival got underway in the Pudukkottai area with much excitement, and hundreds of young men actively participated. In this sport, more than a hundred tamers compete with one another to dominate the bulls when they are let into the arena one by one. On open terrain, this usually occurs in large numbers.
The Supreme Court affirmed the legitimacy of bullock cart races and this age-old bull-taming pastime in May of last year. The court ordered the states to closely maintain the safety and legal protection of animals, ruling that the activities of the states were lawful. A five-judge Constitution bench led by Justice KM Joseph issued the ruling in response to petitions, one of which was submitted by the animal rights organization PETA. PETA had contested the legislation permitting the bull-taming sport in Tamil Nadu.
The Supreme Court ruled that even though jallikattu involves cruelty, it cannot be classified as a blood sport because no weapons are used and the blood may only be accidental. It said that even if there may be cruelty involved in the sport, individuals do not participate in it to kill the animal.
