(IN) AWESOME NEWS: Supreme Court bans Jallikattu (BULL RACE)

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Link:

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080038298 & ch=1/11/2008\

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SC bans age-old bull fight in Tmil Nadu*

 

Sanjay Pinto

Friday, January 11, 2008 (Madurai)

The Supreme Court has banned *jallikattu*, a bull taming sport in Tamil Nadu

that has long been opposed by animal activists.

 

The court rejected the petition of bull owners, stating that the sport

popular in the run-up to the harvest festival is too barbaric and cannot be

allowed to continue.

 

Last year one person was killed and 65 wounded in the sport. The court

suggested bull cart races instead.

 

*Jallikattu* is an annual event that dates back to the 3rd century well

before Spain's bullfight.

 

Tamil Nadu said that it will have team of doctors to see that animals are

not brutalized but court didn't buy that argument.

 

Actvists showed SC last year's video to prove the cruelty in court. TN said

that if the DGP and State can give an affidavit saying no one will be

injured then *jallikattu* can go ahead but when the activists insisted on

ban then SC banned the ancient sport.

 

SC said State can organise the bull cart race instead of the *jallikattu*.

 

People in Madurai are angry since they linked to the sport to prosperity and

banning it will invite bad fortune. Villagers held special poojas on Friday

morning to seeks divine help to have that favourable verdict.

 

Villagers said, ''If the *jallikattu* is not held, this village will have

difficult times, disease and so on.''

 

*Previous precautions*

 

Last year the Madras High Court allowed the event to take place. But it

imposed certain conditions like double barricading to prevent the bulls from

running through the crowd of spectators.

 

Putting bulls through drug and alcohol tests and stationing ambulances and

mobile medical teams at the venues. Measures, the government says ensured

that there was no cruelty to the bulls and no deaths.

 

L K Tripathy, Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu said, ''If the conditions are

strictly adhered to it will be incident free.''

 

But that's a line activists were not willing to buy.

 

 

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