Supreme Court to decide on Dahi-Handi festival height of human pyramids

New Delhi August 8: The Supreme Court will on Monday take up the issue concerning the height of human pyramids for the popular Dahi-Handi celebrations in Maharashtra in a PIL filed by Swati Patil last month.

The Maharashtra government 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.
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.

The high court had on August 11, 2014, ordered that the height of human pyramids should not exceed 20 feet and children below 18 years should not be allowed to participate in the Dahi-Handi function.

The issue had cropped up on a contempt petition filed by city-based social worker Swati Patil, who is the secretary of Utkarsh Mahila Samajik Sanstha, an NGO.

Patil alleged that Maharashtra Government and others were not following earlier orders of the Bombay High Court on the height of human pyramids during Dahi Handi celebrations.

Dahi-Handi is an Indian festival, celebrated every August/September, that involves making a human pyramid and breaking an earthen pot filled with curd tied at a convenient height. This event is based on the legend of the child-god Krishna stealing butter. A participant in this festival is called a govinda or govinda pathak