Maharashtra Government Questions High Court on Categorizing ‘Dahi Handi’ as Adventure Sport

• Division-bench including Justices Sadhana Jadhav and R M Savant and raised the issue while hearing the petition seeking an action against the leader of BJP- Ashish Shelar

• The government has given permission to the minors above the age of eleven years to take part in the celebrations but they have to submit a letter from their parents

Mumbai, Jul 17, 2017: The Maharashtra government was asked by the High Court of Bombay to explain the grounds for categorizing the celebration of 'Dahi Handi' as one of the adventure sports in 2015 and giving permissions minors to take part in the celebrations.

According to the PTI report, division-bench including Justices Sadhana Jadhav and R M Savant and raised the issue while hearing the petition seeking an action against the leader of BJP, Ashish Shelar and the rest for dire situations and the restrictions laid down by the High Court for the celebrations of Dahi Handi festival on the year 2015.

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Along with Shelar, the petition was also seeking severe action against the former youth wing president of BJP in Mumbai- Ganesh Pandey, PTI has reported.

Reportedly, the petitioner said to the bench that post laying down of the restrictions in the order by the High Court on 2015, the state government declared in 11^th August on the same year declaring 'Dahi Handi' festival as an adventure-sport.
In that order, the High Court had stated that the human pyramids that are formed during the celebration, must not exceed 20 feet minors will not be permitted to take part in the formation of the pyramids.

The government has given permission to the minors above the age of eleven years to take part in the celebrations but they have to submit a letter from their parents. The bench has ordered the government to respond to the questions and postponed the issue for further hearing on 4^th August, PTI has reported.

It was also noted by the court that the political leaders such as- Shelar, the head of the Dahi Handi Samiti that was set up by the state-government in the year 2015, should stay away from organizing or participating in such celebrations where the orders from the court are being flouted.

The Samiti was set up post an order from the High Court and the mandate of it was to actualize the guidelines of the court during the celebrations of 'Dahi Handi', Press Trust of India has reported.

– prepared by Antara Kumar of NewsGram with PTI inputs. Twitter: @ElaanaC

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