Activist seeks action against Raj Thackeray

A social activist on Monday moved the Bombay high court seeking action against MNS chief Raj Thackeray and Dahi Handi mandals, which had allegedly violated directions from the high court and the Supreme Court on the height of human pyramids and participation of minors in the practice. Mr Thackeray had allegedly exhorted his followers to celebrate the Dahi Handi festival and ignore the court guidelines.

Social activist Swati Patil’s s lawyer Nitesh Nevshe mentioned the contempt petition before Justice V. M. Kanade and Justice Swapana Joshi. Mr Nevshe showed a compilation of newspaper reports that contained Mr Thackeray’s comment on court orders on the issue and also reports of violations made by various mandals.

The petitioner sought to know what action has been taken by the state government against those violators.

The court has kept the matter on September 20 for further hearing.

The Supreme Court on August 17 had said children below 18 years of age cannot participate in the Dahi Handi festival in Maharashtra.

The Supreme Court had initially suspended the order when the government challenged the ruling, but later dismissed the petition, leaving the status of the order unclear.

After another plea claimed that human pyramid formations were not adhering to the ruling, the Bombay high court pulled up the Maharashtra government for not seeking a clarification from the apex court.

Ms Patil, the secretary of Utkarsh Mahila Samajik Sanstha, a non-governmental organization, had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) over the issue of Dahi Handis and fatal injuries sustained by Govindas who participate in the practice.

Based on this PIL, the Bombay high court had on August 11, 2014, ruled that children below 18 years of age should not participate in Dahi Handi. The court also imposed a height restriction of 20 feet on the pyramid.