: The Supreme Court issued a clarification on Friday that Justice R. Banumathi is not part of any Bench hearing the Jallikattu cases in the apex court.
The Supreme Court registry was compelled to clear the air after reports by several media outlets gave such an impression.
Trouble started when a group of lawyers approached a Bench led by Justice Misra on Thursday with an urgent oral plea to pronounce the Jallikattu judgment on January 13, before Pongal commenced on Saturday.
It had so happened that Justice Banumathi was, at the time, accompanying Justice Misra on the Bench when the lawyers made their request. The mentioning was directed solely at Justice Misra.
In fact, the Jallikattu case, concerning the legality of a January 7, 2016 government notification, was heard by a Bench of Justices Misra and Nariman.
The case was reserved for judgment on December 7, 2016.
On Thursday, Justice Misra had said the request made by the lawyers in the mentioning to pronounce the judgement overnight was “unfair”.
The notification, issued by the Centre on January 7 last year, had sought to circumvent an apex court ban on jallikattu in 2014.
The notification had re-introduced bulls into the fold of 'performing animals' under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960, thus giving an indirect nod to jallikattu, which the apex court had described as an act of "inherent cruelty".
The apex court had stayed the notification on pleas made by animal activists.
