Madurai: In light of the lack of agreement among various communities regarding the Avaniyapuram Jallikattu event in Madurai district, the Madras High Court has given the green light to the organizing committee, consisting of officials appointed by the district collector, to oversee the event on January 15.
The court addressed several public interest litigations urging the formation of an organizing committee inclusive of representatives from all communities. Following a prior directive, the Melur Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) reported that no consensus had been reached during the meeting.
The state argued that due to the absence of consensus, selecting members from various communities was not feasible. Therefore, the court suggested following the same directions issued in 2020 and adhered to in 2023 for this year as well.
A division bench of Justice D Krishnakumar and Justice R Vijayakumar acknowledged the state's submission, asserting that the earlier court directions would be applicable for the smooth conduct of Jallikattu this year. The judges also recognized the collector's formation of an organizing committee comprising officials for the event.
As a result, the judges approved the committee constituted by the collector. They also instructed the collector to form an advisory committee, as per previous court orders, and include two of the petitioners.
The judges emphasized that members of the advisory committee are not permitted to collect donations or seek sponsorship from the public. This arrangement will persist until a consensus is reached between the involved parties or until the resolution of the civil suit pending in the I Additional District Court in Madurai concerning the right to conduct Avaniyapuram Jallikattu. The judges concluded the proceedings by disposing of the petitions.
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