Orissa High Court refuses to intervene in row over ‘distorted’ Ganesh idols

Cuttack: With barely two days left for the Ganjesh Puja, the Orissa High Court (HC) has refused to intervene in the controversy that recently erupted over making of ‘distorted’ idols of the deity by artisans in Cuttack. Disposing of the matter in a hearing today, the HC also directed police and the local administration to put adequate security measures in place as the issue could trigger a law and order situation with local resentment prevailing  and just 48 hours left for the festival.

As per reports, a row had erupted after some artisans of Cuttack’s Kumbhar Sahi were reprimanded for distorting idols of Lord Ganesh instead of giving the deity a traditional appearance. The artisans had alleged that they were warned by Puri Ghat police  and asked to remove the fancy idols while giving an undertaking. Following the incident, one of them, Narayan Muduli, had filed a petition in the HC and appealed on behalf of the artisans’ community that they be allowed to sell the idols as their business had already been badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking to mediapersons, HC advocate Ashish Kumar Mishra said the petition was disposed of because there was less time at hand. “The honorable HC did not grant any relief in the matter as there’s only 48 hours left for the festival and there’s not much time to examine the report of the Commissionerate Police over the contentious nature of the Ganesh idols,” he said, adding that all police actions were carried out orally without any written records. “The claims of police that they approached the artisans in a cordial manner without any high-handedness are false. A writ petition will be filed again to address the concerns of the artisans,” Mishra added.