HC turns down state's request for immersion of PoP Ganesha idols in Hussainsagar

The state government had filed a review petition in the High Court on Monday seeking permission to allow immersion of PoP Ganesha idols in Hussainsagar lake. The petition, filed by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation commissioner Lokesh Kumar, urged the court to allow the immersion of PoP idols and also the immersion procession towards the Tank Bund.

The petitioner informed that if the procession was not allowed towards Tank Bund, the immersion process would take up to six days. He had also assured that all the debris would be cleared from the lake within 24 hours after the immersion process was completed.

The Telangana High Court on 9 September had banned the immersion of PoP idols in Hussainsagar. A division Bench comprising acting Chief Justice M.S Ramchandra Rao and Justice T. Vinod Kumar had also ordered that immersion of PoP Ganesha idols should be allowed at only designated spots along the Necklace Road.

The acting Chief Justice, on Monday, said that the state has created an impossible situation and now it has to solve it. "We cannot accord permission to allow people to pollute Hussainsagar," said the acting CJ.

"The government has spent a large amount of the taxpayers' money to beautify Tank Bund. Will the immersion of Ganesha idols not cause damage to Tank Bund? Has the government not thought this through?" the High Court questioned.

The acting Chief Justice added, "We respect religious sentiments but there is no scripture that says that we should only pray to a Ganesha idol made of plaster of Paris."