SC rejects petition seeking to raise height of Dahi Handi in Janmastami festival

On 24 August, the Supreme Court rejected a plea seeking to relax the cap on the height of the human pyramid fixed at 20 feet for the 'Dahi Handi' ritual during the Janmashtami festival in Maharashtra.

The plea had been filed by Mumbai-based Jai Jawan Krida Mandal Govinda Pathak. The organisation asserted that if youth below 18 years of age were barred from participating in the 'Dahi Handi' ritual, the cap on the height of the human pyramid should be relaxed as adventure is a part of every sport.

The organisation said that if there was no adventure in a game, then there is no point in celebrating it.

Slamming Supreme Court's order on Dahi Handi in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena on 20 August had also said that the courts should not cross the Lakshman Rekha when it came to people's religious beliefs.

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that those below 18 cannot participate as 'Govindas' in the upcoming Dahi Handi festival in Maharashtra.

The Supreme Court added that the height of the human pyramid, meant for Dahi Handi, cannot exceed the 20 feet ceiling as fixed by the Bombay High Court.

The Maharashtra government had approached the apex court seeking clarification on its 2014 order in which it had stayed the High Court's decision banning participation of those below 18 years in the popular 'Dahi Handi' ritual.

--With PTI inputs