The Supreme Court today stayed the Centre's notification lifting ban on controversial bull taming sport Jallikattu<br/><br/>The Supreme Court today stayed the Centre's notification lifting ban on controversial bull taming sport Jallikattu during the festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu. The court rejected the plea of Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and Tamil Nadu that Jallikattu is part of the ancient tradition and culture and should not be stopped as there were enough safeguards provided in the January 7 notification.<br/><br/>A bench comprising justices Dipak Misra and N V Ramana said that as an interim measure, there shall be stay on the notification issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forest.<br/><br/>The bench also issued notice to the MoEF and Tamil Nadu on petitions filed by various bodies including Animal Welfare Board of India seeking striking down of the Centre's notification and sought their replies within four weeks.<br/><br/>Earlier during the day, a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur referred the petitions to the present bench as one of the judges Justice Banumathi, who hails from Tamil Nadu, recused from hearing the batch of petitions.<br/><br/>The four-year-old ban on holding of Jallikattu was lifted on January 8 by the Centre in poll-bound Tamil Nadu with certain restrictions.<br/><br/>Jallikattu is a bull taming sport played in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal day.