: The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Bill of 2017 does not talk of taming of bulls, unlike in the case of the State’s earlier law — Tamil Nadu Regulation of Jallikattu (TNRJ) Act, 2009 — which has since been declared constitutionally void.
A perusal of the text of the two laws reveals that while the latest law defines ‘jallikattu’ as “an event involving bulls” conducted with a view to following tradition and culture, the 2009 law referred to “taming of bulls.” Both have included events such as ‘manjuvirattu,’ ‘vadamadu’ and ‘erudhuvidumvizha’ within the ambit of the term jallikattu.
Referring to the Supreme Court’s judgement of May 2014 in which the TNRJ Act was held repugnant to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act of 1960, an official attached to the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) explained that one of the grounds on which the court had struck down the 2009 Act was the reference to “taming of bulls.”
This, according to the Court, was “inconsistent and contrary to the provisions of Chapter V of PCA Act [which deals with performing animals].”
Pointing out that “the PCA Act does not speak of ‘taming of animals’ (over-powering animals),” the court had distinguished taming of animal for domestic use from taming of animal for exhibition or entertainment.
As the TNRJ Act had spoken of bull tamers, the court had reasoned that “taming of bulls in arena during ‘jallikattu’ as per the State Act [TNRJ Act], is not for the well-being of the animal and causes the unnecessary pain and suffering, that is exactly what the Central Act (PCA Act) wants to prevent.”
Notification on sites
Meanwhile, through a gazette notification issued on Saturday last, the government notified 354 villages as the sites to conduct ‘jallikattu’ up to January 31.
As many as 174 villages in Vellore district find a mention in the notification. In addition, 91 villages in Pudukottai district; 33 in Tiruchi district; 15 in Ariyalur district; eight each in Thanjavur and Sivaganga districts, and four in Madurai district figure in the list.
