Police sends MNS notice ahead of dahi handi, warns of action if party disobeys HC order

In the wake of the vocal outburst by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray against following the Bombay High Court order capping the height of human pyramids and age of participants for dahi handi, police has sent a notice to the party asking them to follow court orders or face action.

Last week, the Supreme Court upheld the Bombay High Court order and capped the height of human pyramid to 20 feet and barred youths under the age of 18 from participating in dahi handi.

While the SC order was met with strong opposition from most political parties, MNS was the most vocal. Their leader snubbed the order, stating that the SC should not poke its nose in the religious matters of Hindus. He also instructed his followers to continue celebrating the festival as always, claiming that he ‘did not care for contempt of court’.

Last year, Munaf Nura Thakur of MNS was booked under section 336 (Act endangering life or personal safety of others) and section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal code after the dahi handi organized by the party at Senapati Bapat marg, Elphinstone Junction and Dadar (West) did not uphold the Bombay HC order. Thakur was the organizer of the programme.

To ensure that the order is upheld this year, Dadar police sent a notice under section 149 of the CrPC to Thakur, warning him of criminal action if the party is found flouting rules.

Meanwhile, other parties like BJP, NCP and Congress have refrained from asking workers to outright violate the SC order. However, according to one report, Shiv Sena workers have been instructed to ‘quietly ignore the SC order’.