O Paneerselvam confident of ‘jallikattu 2017’

Referring to Leader of Opposition M K Stalin’s call for an agitation against ban on jallikattu, the Chief Minister said in a release that he owed the people of TN an explanation following various organisations and political parties joining the fray in their protest against the ban. 

Stating that his letter of January 9 had not elicited any response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said the Supreme Court banned jallikattu on May 7, 2014, and that the state government had been fighting for reversing it since then. Recalling the history of various court cases in connection with the rural sport, he said the High Court first banned both jallikattu and bullock cart races on March 29, 2006. 

Following various court rulings for and against this sport, he said the court finally allowed jallikattu and cart races to be held under district collectors’ supervision ensuring no physical harm to the animals. But the final review petition was dismissed by the Supreme Court as the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act and the 2009 TN Jallikattu Regulation Act contradicted each other. Panneerselvam said late chief minister J Jayalalithaa had in August 2015, requested the Prime Minister for legal steps to promote jallikattu.

Jayalalithaa wrote to the PM in December the same year when the central government failed to table a related bill in the winter session of Parliament. Recalling that Stalin and former High Court judge Markandey Katju had demanded the state government to bring in a law in favour of jallikattu, Paneeerselvam said such a law went against the PCA Act.