No children below 14 years of age to participate in Dahi-Handi celebrations: HC

Mangalore Today News Network

Mumbai, Aug 7 2017 DH News: The Bombay High Court on Monday refused to issue any directions on the height of human pyramids during the Dahi-Handi celebrations coinciding with Janmashtami, the annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna.

During the festival, Govindas, as the participants or revellers are known, re-enact the myth of Lord Krishna stealing butter from a hanging pot, known as the Dahi-handi.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) that comprises of Mumbai and parts of Thane, Raigad and Palghar district - has around 800 to 1,000 Dahi-Handi or Govinda-Pathak and is a big festival. This year Dahi-Handi celebrations fallon August 15 - coinciding with Independence day.

Last week, a bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice R Banumathi referred the plea of Maharashtra government seeking relaxation in 2014 order to High Court and asked it to grant hearing on August 7.

The Apex Court had on 17 August 2016, refused to relax conditions put by the Bombay High Court like barring youths below 18 years of age from participating in ’Dahi-Handi’ festival in Maharashtra and capping the height of the human pyramid at 20 feet.In fact, it had upheld the 2014 Bombay High Court order on the height and age restrictions.

During the hearing on Monday, the bench felt that restrictions on height can be decided by the Maharashtra legislature. As far as the age is concerned, the court accepted the state government’s undertaking that children below 14 years of age will not be allowed to participate in ’Dahi Handi’ festival.

Last year, severalmandals protested in different ways and means and some even violated the height restrictions of 20 feet set by the Supreme Court for human pyramids for the Dahi Handi festival. Several revellers had sported black bands to protest against the height restrictions.