Maharashtra Govt Opposes Immediate Ban On PoP Idol Immersion, Seeks Gradual Phase-Out

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Friday told the Bombay High Court that immersion of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols in natural water bodies should be stopped gradually and not through an immediate ban, urging the court to continue last year's arrangement for the upcoming Ganesh festival.

Advocate General Milind Sathe submitted that a complete prohibition could not be implemented overnight. “It cannot happen overnight or by a knee-jerk reaction. It has to be done consensually and not by law,” Sathe told the court. 

A bench of Justices Ajey Gadkari and Kamal Khata was hearing a batch of petitions, including a public interest litigation filed by environmentalist Rohit Joshi seeking strict implementation of the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) 2020 guidelines, which prohibit immersion of PoP idols in rivers, lakes and the sea. The court also heard petitions by PoP idol manufacturers challenging the guidelines on the ground that they violate their fundamental right to carry on business.

Senior advocate Mihir Desai and advocate Ronita Bhattacharya, appearing for Joshi, have earlier argued that the CPCB guidelines are binding and cannot be diluted through a state policy.

During the hearing, the judges referred to a suggestion made by senior advocate SM Gorwadkar, appearing for PoP artisans, that devotees could perform the immersion ritual symbolically by touching the idol's feet to the water, after which civic authorities could transport the idols to designated collection or recycling centres. 

However, Sathe said such a proposal was difficult to implement on the ground. He added that physically it was not possible as the practice has been going on for more than 100 years. He emphasised that replacing PoP entirely with clay idols would also have environmental consequences, as clay was not easily available and around 4,500 tonnes of residue from clay idols had been collected last year. 

On a court query whether the State would consider adopting a solution in the larger interest of future generations, Sathe pointed to a decline in the number of large PoP idols immersed in Mumbai's natural water bodies. According to the State, 4,149 idols above six feet were immersed in 2025, compared to 7,863 large idols in 2024.

Highlighting the results of one year alone, Sathe emphasised that many idols were not going in natural water bodies. He, however, conceded that the State's guidelines are not legally enforceable and need another "two to three years" to show results.

The arguments would continue next week. 

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