Dahi Handi festival: SC refuses to lift restrictions on height of human pyramid, calls it 'risky'

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to lift restrictions on 20 feet high human pyramids during the Dahi Handi festival, which will be held across the country tomorrow.

The apex court, while refusing to reconsider the petitions in this regard, termed it highly 'risky' any move to raise the height of human pyramids.

The order was passed by a bench comprising justices AR Dave, UU Lalit and L Nageswara Rao.

The apex court passed its order on the Maharashtra government`s plea in connection with the issue of human pyramids in the Dahi Handi fest.

The Maharashtra Government had moved the apex court on August 3, seeking a clarification regarding the height of human pyramids for the celebrations after the Bombay High Court last week pulled up the government for its failure to obtain clarification from the apex court in this regard.

The fresh plea in this regard had been filed by Mumbai-based Jai Jawan Krida Mandal Govinda Pathak.

The organisation contented that since youth below 18 years of age have been barred from participating in the Dahi Handi ritual, the cap on the height of the human pyramid should be relaxed as adventure is part of every sport.

If there is no adventure in a game, then there is no point in celebrating it, the Krida Mandal had argued.

The Supreme Court had earlier refused to relax conditions put by the Bombay High Court like barring youths below 18 years of age from participating in 'Dahi- Handi' ritual of the Janmashtami festival in Maharashtra and capping the height of the human pyramid at 20 feet.

The bench had, however, suspended the operation of two directions passed by the High Court to regulate the 'Dahi-Handi' festival.

One of the directions, suspended by the apex court, relates to amending the existing law to bar children below 18 years of age from participating in dangerous performances like being part of the human pyramid of 'Dahi-Handi' festival.

The second direction of the High Court, which was also suspended, relates to the part of the order which makes it mandatory for the organisers to apprise the authorities 15 days in advance about various aspects such as place of celebration, its timing and personal information, including the birth certificates, of participating 'Govindas' on the ground of paucity of sufficient time.