The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed a National Green Tribunal order restricting the size of dhol-tasha groups participating in the Ganapati festival in Pune to 30 members, PTI reported.
Dhol-tasha is a musical performance that makes use of dhols, which are large double-headed drums, and tashas, which are smaller percussion instruments.
A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra issued notice to the state government on the matter.
“Let them do their dhol-tasha, it’s in the heart of Pune!” Chandrachud remarked verbally, according to Live Law.
Lawyer Amit Pai, representing the appellant Yuva Vadya Pathak Trust, told the bench that dhol-tasha has had a deep cultural significance in Pune for more than a century and that it was started by freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
Yuva Vadya Pathak Trust is a performing arts group based in Pune.
The tribunal’s order issued on August 30, 2024, will “seriously affect the troupes” who practice dhol-tasha, Pai contended.
To curb noise pollution, the tribunal’s western zone bench had directed the Pune Police to ensure that the total number of members in each dhol-tasha group did not exceed 30.
The appellant had sought an urgent hearing of the case on Thursday, with Ganesh Chaturthi festivities having already commenced on September 7.
The ritual of immersing Ganesh idols, for those celebrating the festival over 10 days, will take place on Tuesday.
- Watch: Transgender ‘dhol-tasha’ group performs at Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Pune
- Also read: In Mumbai, the preservers of a Ganeshotsav tradition want their children to stay far away from it
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