In India, where faiths and religious traditions take precedence over natural laws and politics prevails over reasoning. On last Tuesday, the Supreme Court put on hold Jallikattu, the controversial, Bull-running sport in Tamilnadu, following strong opposition from animal rights activists eight days after the Central Govt , lifted the ban on this practice. In fact the decision of the Supreme Court to stay the proceedings, should be welcomed as it is a very cruel game, in which the Bulls are tortured by the persons who try to tame them. They are either injured or even some times killed. I fail to understand as to why it is being considered as part of the festival. Should people celebrate, the torture of animals and victory of human beings over animals?
   The bench of justices Deepak Mishra and NV Ramana have raised one very apt question "what is the necessity of a festival like Jallikattu?""
  The fact of the matter is ,the centre has modified the 2011 notification, which prohibited the use of bulls in sports ( the Jallikattu) in Tami Nadu and (Bullock cart race) in Maharashtra. While it is a fact that the animal welfare board and it's own Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi have opposed it tooth and nail. But the Govt chose tradition over welfare.
    Should people allow the Bulls to suffer such  abominable cruelty in the name of tradition? Given the fact that bullfighting has been banned even in countries like Spain, where it was a traditional sport, the move to lift the ban in India certainly can not be justified. All news channels and print media, had openly come out saying that Centre gave clearance, for Jallikattu in poll bound Tamilnadu with an eye on wooing the voters. The strong and very decisive Jaya Lalita, by reviving this sport, has proved once again, that she is the Supreme leader and capable of getting whatever she wants and can make and unmake things to her advantage. As I know, she is the only CM, of non-BJP who has been able to receive such large number of favours from Centre, for the reasons best known to anybody's comprehension.
   As I have read, and whatever little I could understand from various sources, that this notification which was issued recently, is in direct violation of 2014 Supreme Court Judgement and also goes against the ban issued by the Ministry of Enviroment. What is even more distressing is, welcoming of the Centre's notification, by the regional parties of a very progressive state like Tamilnadu and muted response of all the national parties, while public is not gung ho about it. At one stage even JayaLalita recommended the Centre to issue an ordinance ,in order to circumvent the Supreme court's decision which shows that she can go to any extent, to achieve her objective.
      During the arguments on TV, I have seen the other side of the arguments also that if the domesticated Bulls can be used for agriculture and transport, why not for this sport? If we were to accept that using animals for sport amounts to cruelty, we need to apply the same logic to all the animals.The capture and use of Elephants in temple processions and tourism displays should also be banned.
  Only time will tell whether or not the Govt's attempt to reach out to the people in the state politically through such regressive steps without heeding to its own concerned Minister Menaka Gandhi or even for that matter its own Attorney General, would succeed.
Instead of waging battles, the animal activists, should better take it up as a social movement to educate the masses to put an end to this type of  medieval practices.