The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a petition filed to raise the height of the human pyramids during 'Dahi Handi,' deeming it "very scary."
The petition sought relaxation of the 20-feet height bar of the human pyramid, which was set for the Dahi Handi ritual celebrated during the festival of Janmashtami in Maharashtra. The fresh plea to revise the standard height was sought by a Dahi Handi Mandal Jai Jawan Krida Mandal Govinda Pathak in Mumbai.
Jai Jawan Govinda Pathak, a team from Jogeshwari, shares the world record for erecting the highest human pyramid of nine tiers along with a Spanish group.
The organisation, filing a fresh plea, had said that the cap on height of the human pyramid should be relaxed as it adds adventure to the ritual which is a part of every sport. The SC had refused a previous plea to relax the height cap of the human pyramid, which was set by the Bombay High Court.
The Bombay High Court had barred youth under the age of 18 years to participate in the ritual, considering the risks involved and the tragedies which occur almost every year. The HC had also restricted the height of the human pyramid in Dahi Handi to 20-feet.
"Rest everything is fine, but the height restriction is a bit too much. It was they who had earlier declared the activity as a sport. We had been practising for over two months when they suddenly give a verdict against the usual festivities," a team member of Jawan Govinda Pathak, Mahesh Sawant was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
The hearing bench comprised justices UU Lalit, AR Dave and L Nageswara Rao. Janmashtami which celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna will be celebrated on Thursday across the country.
