Mumbai, August 20, 2026: The Bombay High Court on Thursday clarified that its July 24, 2025 order permitting immersion of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols measuring over six feet in natural water bodies will remain in force until it delivers its final judgment on the issue.
A bench of Justices Ajay Gadkari and Kamal Khata issued the clarification after Advocate General Milind Sathe sought clarity on the effect of the court’s earlier orders.
The clarification became necessary after the court, on August 14, reserved its judgment in a batch of petitions challenging the manufacture, sale and immersion of PoP idols. While reserving the judgment, the bench had said its June 9, 2025 interim order would continue until the final verdict.
However, the June 9 order specifically stated that PoP idols could not be immersed in natural water bodies without the court’s permission. This raised questions over whether the subsequent July 24 order, which permitted immersion of PoP idols above six feet in natural water bodies subject to certain conditions, would continue.
The bench on Thursday clarified that the July 24 order will remain operative until the final judgment.
PoP Restrictions And CPCB Stand
The June 9 order had lifted restrictions on the manufacture and sale of PoP idols after the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) revised its earlier stand. For nearly five years, the CPCB had maintained that the manufacture and sale of PoP idols were prohibited. It later clarified before the court that its guidelines were only “advisory”.
While allowing the manufacture and sale of PoP idols, the High Court had imposed conditions on their immersion in natural water bodies.
The petitions before the bench seek implementation of the CPCB’s 2020 guidelines, which prohibit the immersion of PoP idols in natural water bodies.
The petitioners have also challenged the Maharashtra government’s August 1, 2025 immersion policy, which permitted immersion of PoP idols above six feet in natural water bodies while requiring smaller idols to be immersed in artificial ponds.
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The state’s policy expired in March 2026, but the government has sought to continue with the same arrangement.
After hearing the petitioners, the state government and other intervenors, the bench reserved its judgment.
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