Tamil Nadu government orders withdrawal of 308 cases registered during Jallikattu protests in 2017

The order comes 15 days after Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced in the state assembly that the government will withdraw all cases registered during the protest except those that caused damage to police vehicles and cases where the police were attacked.

In the order issued on Saturday, the government said that appropriate action will be taken to withdraw all 308 cases by the authorities based on whether the case is under investigation or pending trial. Of the 308 cases, 281 are under investigation and 27 cases are pending trial. Two cases have sections of the Railways Act added to them for which the state government will have to obtain the concurrence of the Union government to withdraw the prosecution, the order said.

"For cases that are pending trial, the Assistant Public Prosecutor in charge of the cases has been directed to file the necessary documents to suspend prosecution. For cases that are under investigation, the police concerned have been directed to drop the cases," the order stated.Jallikattu, a centuries-old bull-taming sport is celebrated in the second week of January, during Pongal. In 2014, Supreme Court had banned Jallikattu after People for Ethical Treatment of Animals filed a plea. However, the ban was lifted in 2017 after protests from the people of Tamil Nadu, claiming the event is a crucial part of their culture.