SC order on 'Dahi Handi'? Who cares. Mumbai defies the law
- by Carmen Reese
- in Science
- — Aug 26, 2016
Govindas in Mumbai on Thursday lodged a protest against the Supreme Court order on the height of human-pyramid in Dahi-Handi function.
On Wednesday, the apex court had set a maximum height of 20 feet for the human pyramids formed during the celebrations.
The defiance was relatively rampant at Thane where police registered offences against Maharastra Navnirman Sena (MNS) "Dahi-handi" organiser Avinash Jadhav and 16 "Govindas' under Sections 224/16 308, 336, 188, 34 of Indian Penal Code read with 140 of the Maharashtra Police Act for allegedly violating the apex court's order".
Police had already issued notices to organisers informing them of the court order and that they would record every human pyramid. It had also ruled that minors would be excluded from acting as the Govinda at the top of the pyramid who is tasked with breaking the pot full of curd, milk and other goodies.
A fresh plea was filed in the apex court by Jai Jawan Krida Mandal Govinda Pathak in a last ditch attempt to get over the restriction. If I break the law then I am willing to go to jail for this.
Raj Thackery has criticised the SC's intervention and asked the organisers to celebrate dahi handi with full gaiety. There have been accidents in past years in which people, including children, have been killed or injured after falling off the pyramid.
Meanwhile, Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor and Yuv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray were present at the Dahi handi held at the Mumbai Football Club.
Thackeray had told workers of his party that the festival, which celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna, should be observed "the way it's meant to be". "We are both taking photographs and video-graphing the events across the city."Those found flouting the Supreme Court norms shall be prosecuted depending on the nature of violations", said Mumbai police spokesperson and DCP Ashok Dudhe".
"No, we are not modifying it for the time being", a bench comprising justices A R Dave, U U Lalit and L Nageswara Rao said while declining the plea of a Mumbai-based organisation that capping of the height of human pyramid would take the "adventure" out of the festival which has become a "popular and competitive" sport in the western megapolis. Last year, 300 people were injured and one person was killed during dahi handi festivities in Maharashtra.