{
  "id": 10450742,
  "title": "How a Ganesh Mandal using harmful laser lights got away with Rs 1,000 fine",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/how-a-ganesh-mandal-using-harmful-laser-lights-got-away-with-rs-1-000",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-28T13:22:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/how-a-ganesh-mandal-using-harmful-laser-lights-got-away-with-rs-1000-fine-pimpri-chinchwad-10897884/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Over the past few years, Ganesh mandals have faced criticism for their use of loud music and high-intensity laser beam lights, causing eye problems for citizens. The police banned these strong laser lights during the Ganesh Visarjan, or immersion procession. However, on September 4, 2025, a team from the Sangvi police station in Pimpri-Chinchwad found harmful laser lights being used during Bhairavnath Mitra Mandal's Ganesh immersion procession in Pimple Gurav. The mandal's president, Gopi Lokhande, was informed that such lights were banned under the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) section 163. On the next day, a first information report (FIR) was filed against Lokhande, who then pleaded guilty in court and received a minor punishment of either two days in prison or a Rs 1,000 fine. The court noted that Lokhande repented for his actions. This is reportedly the first case in the region where the court punished a Ganesh Mandal president for using high-intensity laser lights illegally. In October 2023, 23-year-old Aniket Shigvan suffered about 70% vision loss due to exposure to high-frequency laser lights during a Ganesh Mandal procession, and he advocated for a ban on these lights. Dr. Anil Dudhabhate, an ophthalmologist, stated that looking at a 5 MW laser for just ten seconds could cause retinal hemorrhage. The police enforce a ban on high-intensity light beams within a 15-kilometer radius of Pune International Airport to prevent accidents during flight take-off and landing.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Ganesh Mandal president Gopi Lokhande fined Rs 1,000 for using harmful laser lights.",
    "Police banned strong laser lights during Ganesh Visarjan processions.",
    "First case in region punishing Ganesh Mandal for illegal laser light use."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}