Bombay HC Keeps PoP Idol Immersion Restriction Until Final Verdict

Every year in India, people celebrate a festival for Lord Ganesh, and many buy big statues called idols to worship.

Many of these statues are made of a material called Plaster of Paris, or PoP.

When the festival ends, people put the statues into rivers, lakes, or the sea.

PoP does not dissolve easily and can make the water dirty and unsafe.

A court in Mumbai, called the Bombay High Court, is worried about this pollution.

So the judges said that people cannot put PoP Ganesh idols into natural water bodies without special permission from the court.

Some people say a government plan to use special ponds has not worked, and photos showed idols still being put into rivers.

The court also heard that scientists from a big research institute say PoP can be harmful to water.

Until the judges make their final decision, the rule stays the same — no PoP idols in natural water bodies without the court's okay.