HC: Ensure only native bull breeds allowed in jallikattu
Holding that amendments brought into the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Conduct of Jallikattu) Rules, 2017, makes it clear that the conduct of jallikattu is to ensure preservation of native breeds of bulls, the Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to ensure that only native breeds are allowed to participate in the event.
A division bench comprising Justice N Kirubakaran (since retd) and Justice P Velmurugan was passing orders on a plea which sought to permit only the participation of bulls from native breeds of cattle of Tamil Nadu in jallikattu and to prevent and prohibit the participation of bulls of foreign breeds (Bos Taurus) and cross breed bulls (Bos Taurus x Bos Indicus) in the said sport.
Setting aside the State Animal Husbandry Department’s submission that use of cross-breeds is not illegal as per the Act as lacking in explanation, the bench said, “When the Act itself is intended for preservation of native bulls for the purpose of jallikattu, there is no room for hybrids or imported bulls as per the Act to participate in the event. If it is done, it is in violation of the Act and it has got no sanction of law.”
The bench also accounted for the petitioner’s submission that the playing of jallikattu itself is embracing the animal by holding the hump and hence the grown-up hump is a salient feature of native breeds in Tamil Nadu and the hump is also aligned to their front legs.
“A perusal of the photographs would indicate that the native breeds have got huge humps which is necessary for the tamers to hold on during jallikattu whereas the hump is not grown and not available in the hybrids or imported bulls. Therefore, the imported or hybrid bulls are not fit for participating in the jallikattu, ” the bench observed.
Based on this, the court, while prohibiting use of imported / hybrid /cross bulls in jallikattu events, directed that the bulls participating ought to be duly certified by veterinary doctors as native breeds based on the application made for participation in jallikattu.
The court also sought the State to encourage bull owners /farmers to groom native breeds by way of subsidy or incentives so that farmers will be encouraged to groom native breeds. The other direction sought was to avoid artificial insemination of animals, which would deny mating rights of animals amounting to cruelty under the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.