Chennai: Call it a Pongal gift to Tamilians by the Union Government. On Friday the government paved way for bull-taming sport Jallikattu to return in Tamil Nadu, a notification to this effect was issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests as Jallikattu is an integral part of Pongal festivities in Tamil Nadu and was banned by the Supreme Court in 2014.

Animal rights activists have argued that the sport leads to animal cruelty as well as human deaths.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had last month written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought an ordinance to allow ‘Jallikattu’.

The Supreme Court had in May 2014 upheld a notification by the Environment and Forests Ministry categorising bulls in the list of animals which shall not be exhibited or trained as performing animals.

“The Supreme Court consequently ruled that bulls cannot be used as performing animals for Jallikattu events,” Jayalalithaa wrote in the letter.

The Tamil Nadu government had filed a review petition before the Supreme Court which is pending.