No stocks for the gods

Indian court says Hindu gods can't trade in shares

An Indian court has ruled that Hindu gods cannot deal in stocks and shares after an application for trading accounts to be set up in their names. Two judges at the Bombay High Court on Friday rejected a petition from a private religious trust to open accounts in the names of five deities, including the revered elephant-headed god, Ganesha.

"Trading in shares on the stock market requires certain skills and expertise and to expect this from deities would not be proper," judges P.B. Majumdar and Rajendra Sawant said.

The trust, owned by the former royal family of Sangli, in western Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, brought the case after successfully securing income tax cards and savings accounts for the deities. But National Securities Depository Limited (NDSL) rejected the trust's application for permission to open trading accounts, arguing that it would be difficult to take action against the gods in the event of irregularities.

"Gods and goddesses are meant to be worshipped in temples, not dragged into commercial activities like share trading," the judges said. Ganesha, also known as Lord Ganpati, is one of the most popular and well-known gods of the Hindu pantheon and is worshipped widely in Mumbai and Maharashtra.