PUNE: The city police would take stern action against the Ganapati mandals playing high decibel music on loudspeakers during the immersion on Sunday, flouting the high court ban on using them.City police commissioner K Venkatesham told TOI on Saturday, “Mandals and other members of the community must respect the high court order. If someone acts against the order, appropriate action will be taken against him/her or mandal members.”“We have talked with representatives of many mandals. They have promised that they will respect the high court order,” Venkatesham said.“If the mandals do not adhere to the order of the high court, it will be considered as contempt of the court,” he said.A division bench of Justice Shantanu Kemkar and Justice Sarang Kotwal rejected a plea of a body of audio system providers — Professional Audio and Lighting Association — seeking a declaration that there was no legal ban on the use of high frequency loudspeakers in the state. The association also sought an interim injunction, restraining the cops from taking coercive action against the members of the association for using the music system during the public performances.A senior police officer told TOI, “The police have planned to confiscate music systems (instead of speakers) of mandals at the beginning of the procession and detain their operator at the police station.” The officer said, “The cops have been directed to keep a check on the procession of the mandals and their music systems.”District guardian minister Girish Bapat also appealed to mandals to addhere to the high court order and to not play loud music using speakers.Milind Gaikwad, a member of a mandal in Navi Khadki, said mandals from Yerawada and Khadki would defy the order. “It is festival and music is an integral part of it,” he said.Late in the night, several mandals were allegedly playing high decibel music on loudspeakers. Such incidents were reported from Warje, Dhayari, Sinhagad Road, Bopodi, Kasarwadi, Bhosari, Hadapsar, Deccan and Vishrantwadi.

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