Mumbai’s Lalbagcha Raja Ganesh Mandal seeks dismissal of complaint filed with Human Rights Commission

Mumbai: The Lalbagcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal has urged the Maharashtra Human Rights Commission to dismiss a complaint filed against it over the alleged ill-treatment faced by common devotees seeking 'Darshan' during the Ganesh festival.Two city-based lawyers had filed a complaint with the Commission in 2025. Women, children and the elderly were subjected to "malicious behavior" and their rights were violated, the complainants claimed. Ordinary devotees faced misconduct and criminal activity in the serpentine queues for darshan, including theft of mobile phones and other valuables, alleged the complaint, filed by advocates Ashish Rai and Pankaj Mishra.The Ganesh Mandal in its reply submitted before the commission on Wednesday argued that the complaint was filed in Aug 2025, but it referred to grievances dating back to 2023 and 2024. Hence, it was legally barred due to the delay, as per the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.Security arrangements for VIPs and dignitaries are decided by the Mumbai Police and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, and they are meant to facilitate smooth movement for all devotees, it said. Further, no individual devotee corroborated the allegations of "mishandling" or "misbehaviour", the reply said, adding that the allegations were "evasive and non-specific". The complaint should be dismissed with "heavy costs", the Mandal said.The police in their response said that the Lalbag area where the Ganesh Mandal erects its pandal during the festival turns into one of the most densely populated religious sites in the world during the 10-day festival. In 2025 alone, a staggering 1.5 to 2 million devotees visited the Mandal's Ganesh pandal, they said. As to the allegations of ordinary devotees facing misbehaviour or even assaults, the police said that nine Non-Cognizable (NC) offenses were registered, and appropriate legal action was taken.The matter will be next heard by the Human Rights Commission on July 7.