To ban or not to ban: How the ancient sport of Jallikattu (bull-taming) is being regulated across India
As Southern India's most important cultural festival, Pongal,[1] gets underway this year, the sport of Jallikattu, seems poised to resume after a 7-year legal battle including a ban during last year's festival. Like similar battles in Spain, the fight to end Jallikattu has been led by local and international animal rights groups against those wanting to uphold long held religious and cultural practices. The battles have also played out larger political tensions between legislatures and the courts.
The article explores the legal and political arguments that have engulfed the sport over the last 7 years. A comparative analysis has been undertaken with the sport of bull fighting as carried out in Spain, which analysis includes the similarity in arguments taken in favour of the observance of the sport in their respective jurisdiction. Specifically, it looks at:
- What is the sport of Jallikattu and what is its cultural significance?
- A chronology of events and legal proceedings relating to the regulation and temporary banning of the sport;
- The recent widespread protests to reinstate the sport;
- A comparison to the situation of bull-fighting in Spain;
- Authors’ comments
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- Tags: Bullfighting | Dispute Resolution | Governance | India | Jallikattu | Regulation | Spain
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Written by
Aahna Mehrotra
Ms. Aahna Mehrotra is the Founder of AM Sports Law & Management Co. She was called to the Bar in May, 2011 and has gained considerable exposure through her experiences at different institutions worldwide. After completing her schooling from Mayo College Girls’ School, Aahna studied law at the ILS Law College, Pune. She then worked for a year, in India, before pursuing her Masters in Entertainment & Sports Law from the UCLA School of Law. During her year at UCLA, Aahna worked in the Intellectual Property & Anti-Piracy department at Warner Bros., which helped in polishing her skills in the American system. She further enhanced her skills by pursuing a certificate course in Sports Law held at the University of Cambridge and a second Master’s degree in Sports Law from ISDE, Madrid. She also has a certificate in Sports Law from the Sports Law and Policy Centre, in Ravello; a certificate in Intellectual Property laws from the London School of Economics; a certificate in Entertainment Law from the University of New Hampshire; and has attended a certificate course in Sports Law at the University of Geneva, which was held in collaboration with Duke University, U.S.A.
Anurag Tandon
Anurag is an Associate in the Sports Law department at DPSA-TMT. DPSA-TMT is a merged entity of DPSA Legal and TMT Law Practice, founded in October, 2016.
