New Delhi: The Supreme Court stated on Wednesday that the height of human pyramids during the Dahi Handi fest should not exceed beyond 20 feet on Krishna Jamnashtami.
The apex court also ruled that children below the age of 18 years should not be allowed to participate in in these pyramids.
The Mumbai’s Govinda Mandals, showed disappointment with the apex court order. They have been practicing for the human pyramids day in and out.
The court said. “The height of human pyramid, meant for Dahi Handi festival cannot exceed 20 feet ceiling fixed by the Bombay HC.”
The Dahi Handi ceremony is annually held on Janmasthami, the birthday of Lord Krishna. It involves forming a human pyramid and breaking an earthen pot filled with buttermilk tied on a string at the top.
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.
Patil alleged that the Maharashtra Government and others were not following the Bombay High Court’s earlier orders which was imposed on August 11, 2014, directing the State government to declare Dahi Handi a “dangerous performance” under the Maharashtra Police Act and imposing other safety restrictions.