Jayalalithaa asks Centre for ordinance on Jallikattu after SC imposes interim stay

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday asked the Centre to issue an ordinance allowing Jallikattu, hours after the Supreme Court stayed the bull taming sport this year.

Jayalalithaa wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying "sentiments of the people should be respected.

"On behalf of the people of Tamil Nadu I urge you to take

immediate action in this regard," she said in her letter.

Recalling that she had requested Modi on December 22 last

year to promulgate an ordinance to enable holding Jallikattu,

she said, "Considering the urgency of the issue, I strongly

reiterate my earlier request to promulgate an ordinance

forthwith."

Earlier in the day, the apex court, while hearing a bunch of petitions from animal protection groups, had stayed Jallikattu and bullock cart races this year.

The order came just days before the harvest festival of Pongal on January 15 during which Jallikattu is held in many parts of the state.

"As an interim measure, we direct that there shall be stay of notification dated January 7, 2016 issued by Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF)," a bench comprising justices Dipak Misra and N V Ramana said.

The bench also issued notices to the union ministry and the Tamil Nadu government on the petitions filed by Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and animal protection PETA among others.

The stay was welcomed by animal protection groups while it sparked protests by most political parties in the state.

With arrangements already made in Tamil Nadu for the event this year, Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan promised "appropriate action" on the issue.

"The court stay is deeply disappointing. The Central government will take appropriate action on this issue after studying the court ruling," he said.

The four-year-old ban on holding of Jallikattu was lifted on January 8 by the Modi government in poll-bound Tamil Nadu with certain restrictions.

"Provided that bulls may be continued to be exhibited or trained as a performing animal, at events such as Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and bullock cart races in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and Gujarat in the manner by customs of any community or practiced traditionally," the notification had said.