Tamil Nadu can make law to treat Jallikattu as traditional sport: AG Mukul Rohatgi

NEW DELHI: As protests demanding Jallikattu swelled on the streets of Tamil Nadu, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi today said the state government has the power to enact a law to treat Jallikattu as a traditional sport, but cautioned that the animals should not be harmed or cruelly treated during such events.

Rohatgi, who defended in the Supreme Court the Centre's stand allowing use of bulls in events like Jallikattu, said that as far as sports is concerned, it is within the exclusive jurisdiction of respective state governments and the Centre has no power on it.

"That is not a power with the Centre at all because the Constitution demarcates the role of the Centre and states... As far as sports are concerned, it is in the exclusive jurisdiction of the state," he said.


"Now the state could consider making it a law treating it as a traditionl sport, but the state must keep in mind while framing such a law that there is no cruelty attached to the sport. It should not just be for sport without bothering about the plight of the animals. I mean, you have bull fights in Spain. Those are cases where bulls are killed," the top law officer said while talking to news channel Times Now.

On January 8 last year, the Centre had issued a notification lifting the ban on Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu with certain restrictions.

The notification was challenged in the apex court by the Animal Welfare Board of India, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, a Bangalore-based NGO and others.

The court has reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the notification allowing the sport.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, who today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue, said that state government will soon take steps to enable holding of Jallikattu with support from the Centre.