The Supreme Court issued an interim stay on the Centre's January 2016 notification allowing Jallikattu and bullock cart races.
The Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and N.V. Ramana prima facie agreed with the arguments made by a batch of petitioners, led by Animal Welfare Board of India, that Jallikattu is "inherently cruel" and bulls cannot be used or tortured as performing animals for human festivity.
A stay on the January 7 notification means that the 2014 SC judgment banning jallikattu will continue to prevail during Pongal starting on January 15.
Admitting the petitions, the Bench gave the Tamil Nadu Government and the Centre four weeks to file affidavits in response to the petitions.
Earlier in the day, Justice R. Banumathi recused herself from hearing the jallikattu case in the Supreme Court. She had first banned jallikattu during her tenure as Judge of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court.
Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said Jallikattu is not the "bull fight of Spain" and care had been taken to include provisions in the 2016 notification to prevent cruelty to the animals.
Pon. Radhakrishnan for taking legal measures
Reacting to the stay issued by the Supreme Court on jallikattu, Union Minister Pon. Radhakrishnan urged the Centre and State to take all legal measures to allow jallikattu this year and lift the stay.
Current Affairs: 11th January, 2016 Current Affairs Round up December, 2015.
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