‘MATTER IN COURT’: CENTRE REFUSES TO WADE INTO ROW

NEW DELHI: The Centre appeared reluctant to promise an ordinance to override a court ban on Jallikattu, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying on Thursday that the matter is sub judice.

He remained non-committal to Tamil Nadu’s forceful appeal for an ordinance during a meeting with chief minister O Panneerselvam but acknowledged the “cultural significance” of Jallikattu, the southern state’s traditional and popular bull-taming sport.

“The Centre would be supportive of steps taken by the state government,” the Prime Minister said.

Panneerselvam dashed to the national capital as a wave of protests engulfed his state over the Supreme Court’s 2014 ban on the sport, played during Pongal festivities in mid-January.

Attorney general Mukul Rohatgi said the Centre cannot do much, but the state government can enact a law “if it’s a sport to be treated as part of Tamil Nadu’s culture”.