Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has directed the high-level committee, constituted by the Odisha government to oversee the inventory of jewellery and valuables in Shree Jagannath Temple’s Ratna Bhandar in Puri, to expedite the process.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice M S Raman, while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Puri resident Dillip Kumar Baral concerning the temple’s protection and management, emphasised the urgency of the process with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) having completed extensive conservation work.
“Once the inner Ratna Bhandar and other Bhandars have already been repaired and restored, the inventory of the jewellery, articles and the valuables is required to be ensured and we expect that the committee would make all endeavour in this regard, not only to protect such assets but also to ascertain the quantity and the quality of those valuables, which are kept in the Ratna Bhandar for the past several hundred years” the bench observed in its December 23 order.
The ASI restored the inner and outer chambers of the Ratna Bhandar and handed it over to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on July 6, 2025.
The bench noted that the primary issue raised in the PIL goes beyond merely preserving the structure of the 12th-century temple and also encompasses the preparation of an inventory of the jewellery, ornaments, and other valuable offerings dedicated to Lord Jagannath.
The court pointed out that, historically, such inventories of the temple’s treasures had been carried out in 1952 and 1978, following the state’s takeover of the temple’s administration. “Since the committee has already been constituted for making an inventory, we, therefore, request the committee to activate the process and we are hopeful that the government and Shree Jagannath Temple Administration would render all cooperation and assistance to the committee in this regard,” it added.
The matter has been posted for further hearing on January 27, when the state has been directed to apprise the court of the progress made in compliance with the court’s directions.
Notably, on December 27, the supervisory committee, chaired by retired Justice Biswanath Rath, released an 11-page draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the inventory exercise. The draft awaits clearance from the temple managing committee before final government approval, after which exact timelines will be set, sources said.
