A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Justice K M Joseph said, “We will not disrupt the view of the legislature and since the legislature has taken a view that it is part of the state's cultural heritage. In the preamble, it is declared as a part of the culture and heritage of TN,”

Further, Justice Aniruddha Bose said, “Even if the court proceeded on the basis of the fact that legislature is best suited to decide if traditions involving animals can be allowed if it violates any penal statute, such traditions cannot be allowed to be followed”.

Earlier, the apex court had asked the Tamil Nadu government whether an animal can be used in bull-taming sports like 'Jallikattu' to entertain humans and how the sport is necessary for preserving the native breed of bulls.

Case Brief- 

Back in 2017, the Tamil Nadu government released an ordinance amending the central Act and allowing Jallikattu in the state; this was later ratified by the President. Animal rights body PETA challenged the state move, arguing it was unconstitutional. Hearing a bunch of pleas in 2018, the court said that 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 the interpretation of the Constitution.

Jallikattu, also known as “Eruthazhuvuthal”, is a bull-taming sport from Tamil Nadu, popular in Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Theni, Pudukkottai and Dindigul districts — known as the Jallikattu belt. Jallikattu is celebrated during the Tamil harvest festival, Pongal, in the second week of January.