Kiran Ghai , 70 , argued the practice is already legal under British law . Opponents say it is unsanitary and hazardous to health and the environment . He was never prosecuted , but the city council in Newcastle , where Ghai lives , promptly ruled funeral pyres illegal . Officials : burials outside of crematoria are illegal under the Cremation Act . Hindus consider open - air burial essential to the immortality of the soul .
Kiran Ghai , 70 , argued the practice is already legal under British law . Opponents say it is unsanitary and hazardous to health and the environment . Officials : burials outside of crematoria are illegal under the Cremation Act . Hindus consider open - air burial essential to the immortality of the soul .