India’s top court has ruled that people below the age of 18 years can not participate in Mumbai’s famous human pyramid religious festival.
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Patil alleged that Maharashtra Government and others were not following earlier orders of the Bombay High Court on the height of human pyramids during Dahi Handi celebrations.
The bench was unimpressed with the plea of Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Maharashtra, that “Govinda” symbolises Lord Krishna and there is a belief that kids between the age group of 12-15 years are considered more appropriate for enacting “Govindas”.
The bench, comprising justices A R Dave and L Nageswara Rao, chose to hear the revived petition in October this year.
“We know of Lord Krishna stealing butter, but never heard of him performing antics to steal it”, said the SC.
India´s top court on Wednesday banned children from taking part in a popular but potentially risky religious festival in the country´s west that sees young boys scale human pyramids.
“As a matter of fact, risk factor is there in every sport”, the ASG responded.
But the apex court had stayed the order and allowed the organiser to celebrate Dahi Handi as per earlier rules for that year.
India court bans children from human pyramid festival was posted in World of TheNews International – https://www.thenews.com.pk on August 17, 2016 and was last updated on August 17, 2016.
Indian Hindu devotees form a human pyramid to break the dahi-handi, curd-pot, suspended in the air during celebrations of Janmashtami.
“The height of human pyramid, meant for Dahi Handi festival can not exceed 20 feet ceiling fixed by the Bombay HC”, the court said.
The Maharashtra government had taken a stand that since the apex court had not expressed any opinion on restriction imposed by the HC on the height of human pyramids, it was not bound by its earlier order.
The issue had cropped up on a contempt petition filed by a city-based social worker Swati Patil, who is the secretary of an NGO named Utkarsh Mahila Samajik Sansthaa.
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The decision came as the court gave a clarification on an application by Maharashtra government on this count.
