Justice Raghubir Das To Probe Into Missing Ratna Bhandar Keys

Jagannath Temple in Puri

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday appointed Justice Raghubir Das, former judge of the Orissa High Court, as chairman of the commission of inquiry to probe into the missing keys of Ratna Bhandara of the Jagannath temple.

Talking to media persons, Justice Das said that the probe will be impartial.

That the keys were missing came to light when a team had gone to inspect the Ratna Bhandar for structural damages following a High Court order.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on June 4 had ordered a judicial probe into the missing Ratna Bhandar keys after the issue kicked up a political storm in the state.

Opposition parties expressed apprehensions over the safekeep of the huge amount of gold and diamond ornaments that is stored in the Ratna Bhandar.

The commission has been asked to submit its report to the state government within three months.

The probe will focus on the circumstances in which the Ratna Bhandara keys had gone missing.