Larger Supreme Court bench to hear challenge to Tamil Nadu law permitting Jallikatu

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday referred, to a larger bench, a batch of petitions challenging 2016 Tamil Nadu law paving way for the festival of Jallikattu - a bull taming sport widely organised in parts of the state during Pongal festivities.

"We intend to put an end to entire controversy one and for all", said the bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman as it framed three questions to be addressed by the larger bench.

Among these question spelt out by the bench in the course of the hearing include whether the state can claim cultural protection as a constitutional right under the Constitution's Article 29(1), which says that the State shall endeavour to protect the cultural rights of a section of citizens or the people of a particular territory of the country.

The Tamil Nadu government has passed a law to allow Jallikattu in the state by amending the the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

In another question that the bench articulated in the course of the hearing seeks to examine whether a state legislature "can remove the basis of Central law and still claim protection of Article 254 of the Constitution providing for separation of powers".

The formal order referring the matter to larger bench including the questions would be pronounced later as the court reserved its order.