New Delhi: The Centre on Friday allowed the conduct of jallikattu in Tamil Nadu.The sport was banned in 2014 by the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Environment also notified against the use of bulls in any such activity in 2011. However, political parties in the state wanted the sport to be exempted from the notification purview as it is a traditional ritual. Almost all political parties in Tamil Nadu were pressurizing the Centre to revive the ceremony saying it has been their traditional sport for ages. The Tamil Nadu government had earlier urged the Centre to introduce a bill to amend laws for its conduct.

Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan announced the news on his Twitter handle. Elections are due in Tamil Nadu this year.

However, the Animal Welfare Board of India is planning to challenge the order immediately. "We are hoping to make a mention today itself before the court. We anticipated this. We are surprised that the Centre is ready to diminish the stature of a Supreme Court order so brazenly," a top official is reported to have said.

Jallikattu is a bull taming sport played as a part of Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal day in Tamil Nadu. Bulls are bred specifically for the sporting event and a specific breed of cattle bred for this purpose is known as "Jellicut".

Those who participate in the sport along with bulls might receive major injuries and sometimes deaths also may occur. In 2004, at least five people were reported dead and several hundreds injured when the bulls went berserk. Hundreds had died from the sport over the past two decades. Unlike in Spanish bullfighting, the bull is not killed and there are rarely any casualties suffered by the bulls. Still, animal activists have objected to the sport over the years.