The Supreme Court on Friday declined a plea for an interim order allowing the Maharashta state government to relax the ban on use of loudspeakers between 2200 hrs and midnight during Ganesh Chaturthi, which falls on September 7.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice R C Lahoti, Justice B N Srikrishna and Justice P K Balasubramanyan refused to pass any order on the petition filed by state Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh seeking a two-hour relaxation of the Supreme Court ban on use of loudspeakers between 2200 hrs to 0600 hours.
"Let Ganesh Chaturthi be celebrated peacefully this year," the court observed.
Social groups approached the state government to file this petition in view of a recent Supreme Court order, banning the use of loudspeakers and pressure horns around residential complexes to check noise pollution. They sought a relaxation of the ban for Ganesh Chaturthi, which is the biggest festival in Maharashtra.
It is celebrated for ten days in the Hindu month of Bhadrapada with traditional gaiety, which in the recent past has gained commercial proportions. Puja pandals across the state now have live bands, which lead to excessive noise pollution.