Bombay HC reserves verdict on PoP idols, keeps 6-feet immersion rule in force

The court clarified that its interim order will remain in force until the final judgment.

The Bombay High Court on Friday reserved its verdict on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking enforcement of the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) guidelines prohibiting the manufacture and immersion of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols on account of their environmental impact.

The court clarified that its interim order will remain in force until the final judgment. (REUTERS)

The court clarified that its interim order will remain in force until the final judgment. Under the order, idols above six feet in height can be immersed in natural water bodies, while those measuring up to six feet must be immersed in artificial water bodies.

A division bench of justices AS Gadkari and Kamal Khata was hearing a petition filed by Thane resident Rohit Joshi, who argued that despite the CPCB’s directives, several manufacturers continued to produce PoP idols in violation of the ban.

“Assess impact of PoP idols immersion in natural water bodies”

Bhattacharya referred to last year’s high court order, by which it modified its January 2025 order imposing a blanket ban on the manufacture and sale of PoP idols. The June order allowed the manufacture and sale of PoP idols to resume, but clarified that such idols could not be immersed in natural water bodies. Subsequently, in July 2025, the high court permitted all Ganesha idols, including those made of PoP, measuring up to six feet in height to be immersed only in artificial ponds, after the state informed the court that it had already made immersion of smaller idols in artificial ponds mandatory.

During the hearing on August 4, the Maharashtra government had sought three years from the high court to gradually phase out PoP idols and continue last year’s relaxation on their immersion. The court, however, questioned why the state had not acted sooner despite the issue having remained pending for years.

Responding to the court, advocate general Milind Sathe submitted that the state was ready to follow Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to use eco-friendly clay idols, but could not impose a complete ban this year as PoP idols had already been manufactured.

The PIL, filed by Joshi, seeks enforcement of the CPCB guidelines that prohibit the manufacture and immersion of PoP idols, citing their adverse environmental impact. The case has also brought into focus the state’s policy permitting the immersion of larger PoP idols in natural water bodies, despite concerns over their impact on rivers, lakes and the sea.