INTRODUCTION
The Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has delivered a judgment which establishes a state monopoly over the conducting of Jallikattu festival. The bench rejected a petition by village committees seeking independent permissions to conduct the event. A division bench comprising Hon’ble Justice G. Jayachandran and Hon’ble Justice K.K. Ramakrishnan has disposed of the petition filed by the President of Avaniyapuram Village Jallikattu Committee and held that private individuals cannot claim an independent right for conducting Jallikattu internationally regarded venues. The Court further recognized the global cultural significance of the festival and reiterated that state authority remains principal in regulating this traditional Tamil practice.
BACKGROUND
The conflict arose during the preparation for the Pongal season of 2025, wherein, President of Avaniyapuram Village Jallikattu Committee sought permission from the Madurai District collector to conduct Jallikattu in the said village on 15th January 2026 with police protection. The event conducted in this village along with two other villages namely, Alanganallur and Palamedu is one of the most internationally recognized bull taming festivals which attract global attention and participation. The petitioner put forth the submission that the village committee has exclusive and inherent rights to organizing this event and demanded for the advisory committee to include collective representation from all the communities within the Avaniyapuram village.
KEY POINTS
- The High Court highlighted that under the Tamil Nadu Regulation of Jallikattu Act of 2009 and the Standard Operating Procedures setup by the Animal Welfare Department on 21st November 2025, mandates for Jallikattu at Avaniyapuram to exclusively conducted by the Revenue Officials who are acting on behalf of the State with villagers assisting only through an advisory committee. The statutory provisions provide for organizational authority to be exclusively vested with government authorities with prohibition in involvement for private committees.
- Hon’ble Justice Jayachandran and Hon’ble Justice Ramakrishnan observed that upon the consideration of the international importance and global acclaim of the festival, which is conducted in the villages of Avaniyapuram, Alanganallur and Palamedu, the conduction of such event by employing state-level direct organization becomes necessary. The Court observed that private individuals cannot independently request permission to conduct this event.
- The State reassured the Court that the advisory committee would be constituted according to the practice established and guidelines issued by the High Court in 2020 directives for ensuring a holistic communal participation through advisory bodies while also preserving the power of organizing control to the State.
- The statutory provisions demand compliance to safeguards for animal welfare, veterinary checks, crowd management protocols and measures to be taken for public safety, which require state coordination on a ground level. The organization of this event by private actors increases potential risk and disorder.
- The judgment invokes the directive given by the Court in 2023 for joint administration of Jallikattu proceedings by Madurai District Authorities without any division based on religion or caste. This established a precedent for organization of cultural events by state to avoid internal communal conflicts to ensure for a smooth functioning of the festival.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
Based on the ruling by Madras High Court, the Avaniyapuram Jallikattu took place under the state administration on 15th January 2026 with an advisory committee consisting of community representatives. This judgment clarifies the organizational authority at premier venues for over five-hundred annual Jallikattu events which take place across Tamil Nadu. Animal welfare organizations and legal commentators are of the opinion that the decision caters to strengthen application of protection standards during Jallikattu.
CONCLUSION
The judgment passed by the Madras High Court showcase is a balanced approach to harmonize cultural preservation, coupled with necessity for regulations. By affirming the state’s organizational authority while also preserving advisory participation of the community, the Court had established that cultural events which carry international significance require centralized governance to maintain animal welfare, public safety and order. This word showcases that to affirm respect for traditional practices; abandonment of protective regulatory frameworks is not necessary. The Jallikattu and its prevalence in Tamil Nadu will continue to proceed under the state governance which accommodates for community involvement while parallelly preventing the existence of unregulated private variants which carry the potential to compromise the safety and animal welfare standards.
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WRITTEN BY: KRISHNA KOUSHIK
