Tamil Nadu: 700 bulls participate in Jallikattu in Madurai's Palamedu

Around 700 bulls participated in the Jallikattu competition in Madurai's Palamedu on Thursday. It is organised in rural areas of Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal, the harvest festival.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday had refused to entertain a plea challenging the Madras High Court order for conducting Jallikattu in various districts of Tamil Nadu, under supervision of monitoring committees headed by a retired district judge.

Madurai District collector had said that those below the age of 21 will not be allowed to participate in Jallikattu to be held at Palamedu and Alanganallur.

Over 2,000 bulls will participate in Jallikattu, which will be held till January 31 in the state. 730 bulls in Avaniyapuram and 700 bulls in Alanganallur are participating in the competitions this year.

The Supreme Court (SC) in 2014 banned 'Jallikattu' after a plea was filed by the Animal Welfare Board of India and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) but the state government insisted that Jallikattu was a crucial part of its culture and identity.

The ban was later lifted in January 2017 with an amendment to the law after massive protests in Chennai.