Supreme Court upholds Madras High Court order banning sale of plaster of paris idols

The Supreme Court declined an appeal against a division bench of the Madras High Court which stayed an order of a single judge allowing the sale of Ganesh idols made using Plaster of Paris.

A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said the petitioners could have used natural clay or other items that can be immersed in water instead.

"The appellate order is interim in nature. What is the use of selling idols which cannot be immersed...You could have used natural clay etc. Sorry. Dismissed," the CJI remarked.

The Court was hearing an appeal against an order passed on Sunday by which a division bench of the Madras High Court stayed a single-judge order that had allowed the sale of plaster of paris (PoP) idols ahead of the end of Ganesh Chaturthi.