Jallikattu protests, Jallikattu ban
Jallikattu© Selvaprakash Lakshmanan

Union Law Ministry has finally stepped in and approved an ordinance on Jallikattu after thousands of people from Tamil Nadu protested against Supreme Court's ban on the bull-taming game. The people of the state can play the sport again if the ordinance is approved by President Pranab Mukherjee.

The SC banned Jallikattu in 2014 after animal rights organisations like PETA took the game to the court, terming it as extreme cruelty to animals. However, silent voices against the ruling over the last few years burst into huge protests in the last few weeks with people from across the political spectrum and region joining hands to lift the ban on the traditional game. It has been spontaneous protests with no particular leader or person spearheading it.

[READ: Jallikattu: Here are five differences between Tamil Nadu's bull-taming sport and Spanish bullfighting]

"Law Ministry approves ordinance on #Jallikattu with minor changes," The Economic Times tweeted on Friday, January 20. "Ordinance on #Jallikattu to be sent to President Mukherjee for assent," it added.

Approval of the ordinance on Jallikattu was expected as politicians cutting across party lines have voiced their support for the sports. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam had earlier said that his government would pass an ordinance on the sports in a day or two to ensure the people of the state enjoy the sports, and Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi had also suggested that the state government could make Jallikattu a traditional sport through an ordinance.

Jallikattu is a traditional bull-taming game played in Tamil Nadu for more than 2,000 years now. Many see its banning as an attack on Tamil culture, thus sparking off massive protest across the state.

Some have compared Jallikattu to Spanish bullfighting, but they are different. Participants in Jallikattu try to get money or valuables tied to the horns of the bull by holding on to the hump. They can carry any weapon to inflict any injury on the bull, but Spanish bullfighters use sharp objects, including swords to kill them.

(Source: The Economic Times Twitter account)