SC stays NGT order restricting members in each troupe in Ganpati Visarjan

New Delhi, Sep 12 : The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the operation of a NGT (National Green Tribunal) order restricting members in each troupe during a Ganpati Visarjan procession in Pune.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, passed the interim direction as it agreed to examine a plea challenging the part of the NGT decision limiting the total number of Dhol-Tasha-Zanj members in each troupe to 30.

Earlier in the day, the Bench, also comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, agreed to take up the matter for urgent hearing after it was mentioned that Ganpati Visarjan is scheduled to take place on September 17.

In a slew of directions passed on August 30, the Western Zone Bench of the green tribunal in Pune directed the “police department to ensure that the total number of Dhol-Tasha-Zanj members in each troupe during the Visarjan procession shall not exceed 30 in number.”

In case of violation of the above direction, the NGT had ordered the police to seize the Dhol-Tasha-Zanj units.

Further, it asked the law enforcement machinery to notify that use of Toll (metallic high decibel noise making unit) & DJ in Visarjan processions is prohibited and in case of violation, directed the police to set criminal law into motion.

The NGT had said that the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board will give widespread publicity of its directions as also harmful effects of high decibels of sound levels, in Pune through newspapers/banners/posters etc.