Bombay HC seeks Maharashtra's stand on PM Modi's appeal for eco-friendly Ganesh idols

The Lalbaugcha Raja idol on its way for immersion on the final day of the ten-day-long Ganesh festival on September 17, 2024. FILE PIC/SHADAB KHAN

The Bombay High Court has asked the Maharashtra government to clarify its stand on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent appeal urging devotees to use eco-friendly clay idols during the upcoming Ganesh festival.

A bench of Justices Ajay Gadkari and Kamal Khata questioned the state while hearing a bunch of petitions against the use of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols, granting Advocate General Milind Sathe time till Wednesday to clarify the government's stand.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had prohibited PoP idols in its 2020 guidelines. The court cited PM Modi's ‘Mann Ki Baat' address aired on Sunday, in which he urged people to use eco-friendly clay idols, and asked the government about its response to the same.

Last year, after the CPCB stated that its guidelines were advisory in nature, the court allowed the immersion of PoP idols over six feet in natural water bodies as per the state government's 2025 policy.

Public interest litigations have been seeking strict enforcement of the CPCB guidelines. However, PoP idol manufacturers also filed pleas, claiming that their fundamental right to carry on their business would be affected.

July 26
Day PM delivered address

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