Criticising the Supreme Court’s verdict restricting the height of dahi handi pyramids, the Shiv Sena on Saturday said the judiciary was overstepping the “ laxman rekha ” that separates it from the executive functions of a democratically elected government.
A scathing editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana said, “Lokmanya Tilak had asked British government if it had lost it sanity and was sent to the Mandalay prison on sedition charges for six years. But that was during the British government and its courts. But now a situation is emerging where we need to object to judicial activism in independent India because though there is a democratically elected government, the courts are handling the real governance.”
The court had issued the restrictions for better security of govindas . The editorial said that govinda squads in Mumbai were disappointed with the decision. It said that all the squads are trained and to make human pyramids for more than a year. Except for the use of children younger than 18 years, there is nothing objectionable in the festival,” it said.
It added that though govindas get injured and some even die “unfortunate things” such as crime and farmers’ suicides happen everywhere.
“Festivals like Ganeshotsav, dahi handi and Navratri are part of our faith and belief systems. Therefore courts should not at least cross this laxman rekha. Let the elected government do its work.” It added that the party would lead the dissent against attempts to stop “ festivals and rituals of the Hindus.”
Sena ally BJP refused to react to the editorial. “We have a policy of not reacting to Saamana editorials. We would not like to comment,” said BJP spokesperson Kesha Upadhyay.
Two days ago, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray had also criticised the verdict. Though the Congress and the NCP have also expressed displeasure with the apex court’s verdict, their leaders said they would abide by the restrictions. Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam had urged the State government to file a review petition on the lines of the one filed by Tamil Nadu government in the Jallikattu ban case.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had assured the dahi handi committee that the State Advocate General would make a representation before the apex court at the next hearing in September, but appealed to the panel to follow the court ruling when the festival is celebrated on August 24-25.
