Supreme Court allows Jallikattu, Kambala and bull cart racing: Fans, celebs, organisers welc­ome the move; animal activists call it setback

The Supreme Court, on Thursday, upheld amendments made by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960), allowing the traditional bull-taming sports of Kambala, Jallikattu and bullock-cart racing. Fans of the sport, several ministers and Karnataka’s Kambala associations called it a ‘victory of the farmers’, while several animal protection organisations sought to challenge the verdict. “Kambala is part of our culture, it’s what we have seen while growing up,” said Eshwar Shetty, from the Kambala association.

There are more humane ways of celebrating culture: Animal activists
We are extremely saddened by the verdict. It puts us back by more than 15 years - time from when the matter started. This is not a fight against culture or traditions, it’s about moving ahead with times. There are more humane ways of celebrating culture and tradition
— Alokparna Sengupta, managing director of Humane Society International/India

A timeline of judgements:

• 2006 – The Madras High Court bans the sport following the death of a spectator.
• 2014 – Supreme Court banned Jallikattu and struck down the 2009 Act which lifted the ban
• 2016 – The NDS government’s environment ministry revoked the ban. Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and PETA challenged this
• 2017 – Major protests took place in Tamil Nadu opposing the ban
• 2023 – The five-member constitution bench delivered a unanimous verdict on Jallikattu, allowing the sport to continue

----With inputs from M Suganth