Case registered against organisers of Thane’s Dahi Handi event

Several organisations in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai celebrated Janmashtami on Thursday while flouting the Supreme Court order on “Dahi Handi” height and participation of minors.

Although the apex court had made it clear that no human pyramid can go over the cap of 20-ft, in adjoining Thane district, a “Dahi Handi” was strung up at 49ft, more than double the height allowed by the Supreme Court.

Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) last month, the High Court had directed the state government to approach the apex court on its order on the height of human pyramids.

Cases had been registered against 16 Govinda mandals in Thane, adjoining Mumbai for allegedly flouting court guidelines, a senior police official said.

A Dahi Handi organiser named “jai jawan krida mandal govinda pathak” had sought relaxation in height restriction condition fixed at 20 feet. Jadhav also sported a T-shirt, that said, “Hoye me kayada madnaar (I will break the law)”. These revellers were attempting to break the 40-foot “Dahi-handi” that carried a cash prize of Rs 11 lakh.

The top court has also banned those below 18 from participating in the pyramids. Last year, one person had been killed, while 66 others were injured.

A sporting tradition that blends devotion with fun, frolic and adventure, “dahi handi” recaptures the fondness of Krishna as a child for butter with scores of youth joining shoulder-to-shoulder to build a human pyramid, through which the aspiring victor scales to hit the curd-filled earthen pot strung over head.

Meanwhile, Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor and Yuv Sena leader Aditya Thackeray were present at the Dahi handi held at the Mumbai Football Club. The violation was followed by the remarks of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena or MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who had reportedly told his party workers to celebrate the festival in a “traditional way”.

Mumbai: A Mumbaikar has managed to bypass the recent Supreme Court verdict on limiting the height of Dahi Handi to 21 meters, and in the process, managed to win the dahi handi competition in Mulund.

A day after the apex court upheld the Bombay High Court’s August 2014 order regarding restrictions on the Dahi-handi revellers, a miffed Raj had said: “Who has given powers to the courts to interfere in festivals that we have been celebrating for years?”