HYDERABAD: In a major setback to the State government, the Telangana High Court on Monday refused to revisit its orders from September 9, prohibiting the immersion of Ganesh idols made of Plaster of Paris (PoP) in the Hussainsagar and other water bodies in Hyderabad.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice MS Ramachandra Rao and Justice T Vinod Kumar dismissed the lunch motion petition filed by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), stating, “This court is not inclined to modify its order because you created the circumstances with your own actions. If aggrieved by the orders of this court, the State can approach the Supreme Court.
The High Court respects all religious sentiments. But no scripture says that one should pray to the Ganesh idols made of PoP and synthetic colours and that these idols must be immersed in the Hussainsagar alone.”
The bench expressed doubts over the bona fides of the GHMC Commissioner, stating that nowhere in his previous three affidavits did he disclose that bigger Ganesh idols could not be immersed in the 25 baby ponds in the GHMC area. It observed that such crucial information was withheld from the court.