MNS set to defy Supreme Court order with 49 ft dahi handi in Thane
Picture Courtesy : Vaishnavi Vasudevan
On Thursday, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) lived upto its claim of celebrating Janmashtami in the ‘usual spirit’ by defying the Supreme Court order and tying a 49 feet dahi handi in Thane.
Recently, Supreme Court ruling capped the height of human pyramid to 20 feet and barred youths under the age of 18 from participating in dahi handi. But, MNS remained adamant about celebrating the festival like every other year.
The organizer of the Janmashtami celebrations for the party, Avinash Jadhav, confirmed that the dahi handi was tied on the orders from the party’s leader Raj Thackeray, who reportedly told workers to celebrate the festival the way it was meant to be celebrated.
“The Supreme Court cannot dictate how we celebrate our festivals. If I break the law then I am willing to go to jail for this,” Jadhav told NDTV, exemplifying the importance of one over the other.
Thackeray himself is scheduled to visit Thane and witness the celebrations first hand.
Meanwhile, police stationed in the area have not intervened in any way. However, a source confirms that they have recorded the preparations, which showcase the height, on camera as proof.
There is also speculation that by tying the dahi handi at 49 feet, the organizers are attempting to break the current world record. Mumbai-based Jai Jawan group currently holds the Guinness World Record of breaking a 43 feet dahi handi.
While the party seems set to break the law, it hasn’t broken any laws just yet. “By tying the dahi handi at 50 feet, they are not exactly violating the Supreme Court order as it explicitly states that no human pyramid can exceed the height of 20 ft. The organizers will only break the law if a human pyramid is formed to break the dahi handi. Until then, they have simply tied a rope, which is allowed by law,” said lawyer Pushkar D.
