Jallikattu: HC tackles the bull by its horns

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Friday ordered interim injunction against  awarding first prize to the controversial winner of Alanganallur jallikattu that was held recently. Justice GR Swaminathan passed the interim order following a petition filed by the runner-up of the event, R Karuppannan of Arittapatti in Madurai, claiming that the winner, Kannan, did not register his name with the organisers and had impersonated another tamer.

In his petition, Karuppannan submitted that due to the pandemic, the State government had issued various guidelines for conducting jallikattu this year, and had stipulated that the tamers should undergo compulsory Covid-19 test a day prior to the event. 

He stated that he took part in the event after qualifying both the physical as well as Covid-19 tests and had tamed 11 bulls. But Kannan, who was declared as the winner for taming ‘12 bulls’, did not undergo any identity verification or medical tests, Karuppannan alleged. 

Kannan took part in the event by wearing the jersey of another tamer, Hari Krishnan, who sustained injuries during the event, he added, and prayed the court to declare him as winner instead of Kannan. After Karuppannan’s counsel Veera Kathiravan said that the government was set to hand over the first prize to Kannan on Saturday, Justice Swaminathan ordered an interim injunction until its determined whether Kannan had really tamed more bulls than Karuppannan. The case was adjourned to February 5.