Laughing club in Mumbai banned by court

The laughing yoga clubs are designed to reduce stress and improve well-being, but a court in Mumbai has banned one such club after a 78-year old man filed a complaint. The Bombay High Court has ordered to stop its early morning giggling sessions because an old resident, Vinayak Shirsat complained that it caused ‘mental agony, pain and public nuisance’.

According to the petition of Shirsat, about 10 to 15 members of the group gather at 7:00 am to sing, clap and indulge in loud and vigorous spells of laughter. He added, “They laugh at the top of their voices and every member of the club encourage the others to laugh to their heart’s content.”

Based on the principle that the laughter is good for health, laughing yoga was made popular as an exercise routine by Indian physician Madan Kataria in Mumbai in 1995 and there were many laughing yoga clubs established.

Judges stated while hearing the lawsuit filed by Shirsat, “It is not proper to gather outside somebody’s house and laugh.” On Monday, the court gave police a week to inform judges how they planned to restrain the club from the problems.