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Jallikatttu
Seven persons, mostly spectators and a bull owner, died in the jallikattu and manjuvirattu events held across Tamil Nadu on Kaanum Pongal day, police said on Friday. Two bulls too died in separate incidents. While one bull died during the event in Pudukkottai, a bull owner and his bull died at Siravayal manjuvirattu in Sivaganga, the police said. At the manjuvirattu in Siravayal in Sivaganga district, Thaneesh Raja of Naduvikottai Keela Aavandhipatti village, who brought his bull to take part in the event died along with his bull after the animal fell into a farm well at Kambanur while running away from the arena. Both Raja and his bull drowned when he jumped into the well to get hold of the animal. About 130 people were injured in the manjuvirattu in which 150 baiters and 250 bulls participated. A spectator Subbaiah of Devakottai was gored by a bull and he died on the way to hospital. A 55-year-old spectator P Periyasamy of Mettupatti village near Vadipatti, was gored in the neck
The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its judgement on a batch of pleas challenging Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra laws allowing bull-taming sport 'Jallikattu' and bullock cart races. "Jallikattu", also known as "eruthazhuvuthal", is a bull-taming sport played in Tamil Nadu as part of the Pongal harvest festival. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Justice K M Joseph heard submissions from senior advocates including Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Tamil Nadu, and several other counsel representing the intervenors. The bench, also comprising Justices Ajay Rastogi, Aniruddha Bose, Hrishikesh Roy and C T Ravikumar, asked parties to file a collective compilation of written submissions with a week. The top court had earlier said the petitions challenging the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act, 2017 needed to be decided by a larger bench since they involved substantial questions relating to interpretation of the Constitution. The bench framed five questions to b