MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Monday appointed a committee under retired district judge to organize and supervise jallikattu event in Avaniyapuram, Palamedu and Alanganallur this week.
A division bench of Justices M Duraiswamy and T Ravindran appointed retired district judge Manickam as the Chairman of the organising committee who, they said, will be assisted by the Madurai District Collector, Commissioner of Police, Corporation Commissioner in Avaniyapuram while in Alanganallur, the retired judge would be assisted by the Collector, Inspector-General of Police (South Zone) and Assistant Director of Town Panchayat.
As far as Palamedu jallikattu festival is concerned, the judges stated that the already existing committee named 'Grama Pothu Mahalinga Swami Madathu Committee', which had conducted the event in Palamedu last year, can conduct the festival this year too, but under the supervision of the court-appointed organising committee.
Similar to last year, an advisory committee (erstwhile vizha committee) consisting of concerned village representatives would also be assisting the court-appointed committee in all three places, the judges added.
The order was passed on a batch of public interest litigations filed expressing grievances relating to the constitution of vizha committee, especially non-inclusion of representatives of certain communities, in all the three aforementioned places. The festival is to be conducted on January 15 in Avaniyapuram, on January 16 in Palamedu and on January 17 in Alanganallur.