In October 2007, a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata brought the magical world of Harry Potter to life. But what began as an ambitious festival theme soon turned into a copyright dispute involving author J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros., the rights holders associated with the Harry Potter franchise, as reported in News18.
The FD Block Puja Committee in Salt Lake, Kolkata, chose Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the fictional school attended by Harry Potter and his friends, as the theme for its Durga Puja pandal. Organisers set out to recreate the iconic castle, complete with towering structures and blue-tipped features.
The plans extended beyond the castle itself. The committee intended to install life-sized figures of Harry Potter and his companions and was constructing a mock steam engine modelled on the Hogwarts Express. At the same time, the pandal retained the religious centrepiece of Durga Puja: an idol of Goddess Durga seated on a lion and slaying a demon.
🪄THE NIGHT HOGWARTS CAME TO KOLKATA — AND A LAWSUIT THAT THREATENED THE MAGIC🪄
October 2007. Durga Puja was approaching, and Salt Lake’s FD Block had an extraordinary surprise in store: a Hogwarts-inspired pandal, bringing the magical world of Harry Potter to the streets of Kolkata.
Weeks of work transformed bamboo, canvas and papier-mâché into a spectacular castle. Inside, the fictional world of wizardry met the timeless devotion of Maa Durga. The pandal soon attracted huge crowds and media attention.
But then came an unexpected twist.
⚖️ A COPYRIGHT BATTLE.
Reports emerged that J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. and rights holders had initiated legal proceedings over the unauthorised use of Harry Potter imagery. A reported ₹20 lakh damages demand put the organisers under pressure just as the festival was about to begin.
Could the pandal be forced to close?
On 12 October 2007, the Delhi High Court allowed the festivities to proceed during the Puja period. The reported damages were not imposed at that stage. It was not a blanket exemption from copyright law, but the gates of the Hogwarts-inspired pandal stayed open for the festival.
And so, for a few magical days, Hogwarts found a home in Kolkata.
A fictional British castle, a Bengali goddess, and a legal drama — only Durga Puja could bring them together. 🙏
#Kolkata #DurgaPuja #HarryPotter
Source: https://t.co/MF2m0PVl48— West Bengal Diary (@WestBengalDiary) October 12, 2026
The project was estimated to cost around ₹12 lakh. However, as construction neared completion, the organisers faced a legal challenge.
According to reports published at the time, J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. alleged copyright infringement over the unauthorised use of Harry Potter imagery. They reportedly approached the Delhi High Court seeking ₹20 lakh in compensation. The dispute came to public attention on October 8, 2007, just days before the festivities.
Santanu Biswas, secretary of the FD Block Puja Committee, said the organisers had not realised that permission was required to use the copyrighted material. The committee maintained that the theme was intended to attract visitors to the pandal rather than generate commercial profit.
The legal challenge placed the organisers in a difficult position with the festival approaching. On October 12, 2007, the Delhi High Court reportedly allowed the Durga Puja festivities to proceed during the festival period. The decision enabled the celebrations to continue, although it did not amount to a general exemption from copyright law.
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