The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to intervene on behalf of the thousands of protesters gathered at Chennai's iconic Marina beach and other places in support of jallikattu.
In a mentioning before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar, advocate N. Rajaraman said the police were harassing the protesters, and in some cases, even denying them access to drinking water.
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The Bench, however, told the lawyer to move the Madras High Court, asking him why he had directly approached the Supreme Court.
Mr. Rajaraman replied that a plea was made before the High Court on Wednesday. However, the High Court had advised the complainants to approach the Supreme Court, as the apex court was already seized of the issue.
In response, the apex court said allegations of "police excesses" and jallikattu are two quite different matters. In the case of the former, the High Court, considering its jurisdiction and proximity, was the best court to hear the complaint against the police.
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The mentioning came in amid the demand to lift the ban on jallikattu.
The Supreme Court banned the event conducted during Pongal festival and declared it an "inherent act of cruelty" against bulls. A review petition filed by the Tamil Nadu government against the 2014 judgment was also dismissed by the apex court in November 2016.