On Tuesday, the bombay high court reversed a mumbai police order that instructed sellers at the well-known Mahim Fair to stop celebrations two days beforehand.
"These melas and events involve participation from all sections of society," the court said, indicating that these kinds of gatherings are essential to the social fabric. It is wrong to stop them abruptly and without cause, especially when they have been praised for more than a century.
The fair, which started on december 16 and was supposed to end on december 25, was forced to close early due to traffic and the nearby St. Michael's Church's planned christmas celebrations.Mumbai police contended that there may be disturbances or events as a result of the anticipated large gatherings during Christmas.
One vendor, Zahid Khamisa, filed a petition contesting the ruling after vendors received the notice on monday evening.
Khamisa's attorney, prasanna Bhangale, contended that the abrupt cancellation lacked a good reason because the Mahim fair had been conducted amicably since 1901 without any significant incidents.
Prajakta Shinde, an additional public prosecutor, supported the notice by claiming that the fair affected locals by causing traffic congestion. The hearing was attended by Mahim police station Senior police Inspector Vinayak Vinal.The notice was deemed unnecessary by the bench of Justices Shivkumar Dige and Advait Sethna, however, because no public objections had been filed. "The fair was given clearance by the police, but with restrictions. Removing the authorisation is not justified by their concern about traffic congestion. The bench stated that it is the responsibility of the police to control traffic by sending out additional officers.
The court's ruling guarantees that the century-old custom of the Mahim fair can go forward as scheduled.
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