Bombay HC clarifies PoP idol immersion case limited to environmental impact
Court states litigation does not seek to interfere with religious practices; when the Bench asked the counsel if he could place any old Hindu scripture that mandated an idol of Ganesh must be made of PoP, he responded that when the scriptures were being written, PoP was not discovered
The Bombay High Court ruled on August 5, 2026, that the case concerning the disposal of Plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganesh idols is solely about the environmental consequences of such disposal and not about religious practices. In a hearing related to petitions on the disposal of PoP idols, a Division Bench consisting of Justices Ajay Gadkari and Kamal Khata made this point clear.
The issue before the court was whether PoP idols are harmful to the ecosystem, rather than whether the religious practice of Ganesh Visarjan could be banned. Justice Gadkari emphasized that they are not making any statement about religious practices or prohibiting the use of flowers, agarbattis, or other rituals. The court clarified that they are only addressing the environmental impact of immersing idols made of specific material in natural water bodies.
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