HC Raps SJTA For Not Specifying Date For Opening Of Jagmohan

Cuttack: The Orissa High Court on Thursday reprimanded the Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) for not mentioning the date for opening of the Jagmohan of Shri Jagannath temple in Puri.

The stricture of the court came while going through the affidavit on the opening of Jagamohan submitted by the SJTA.

Expressing displeasure at the SJTA for not mentioning the date for opening of the Jagmohan, the court asked it to specify the date in the next hearing failing which the SJTA chief administrator would personally appear before the court and explain the reasons.

The court wanted to know as to why the SJTA has failed to mention a specific date for the opening of Jagamohan while the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has completed it repair since a month.

The court will have its next hearing on Tuesday.

“The search committee that had inspected the Ratna Bhandara, has submitted its report in a sealed envelope to the SJTA. The report will be opened and discussed at a joint meeting of the Chhatisha Nijog and SJTA after which SJTA will apprise the court of the action to be taken in this regard,” Ashok Mohapatra, counsel of the petitioner told media persons.

He, however, said engineer NK Mohanty, theamicus curiae appointed by the Orissa High Court, who was one of the 16-member team that had gone inside the Ratna Bhandara for inspection, informed the court that some beams inside the Ratna Bhandara have been damaged. But there is no need for the urgent repair of the beams that can be taken up later.

“However, Mohanty, in his report has mentioned that there has been damaged in some portions of the Ratna Bhandara,” Mohapatra pointed out.