Odisha: HC Reserves Judgment On Puri Jagannath Temple PIL

Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has reserved judgment on senior BJP leader Samir Mohanty’s PIL, seeking direction for structural repair of Ratna Bhandar of Puri Jagannath Temple and inventory of the valuables kept in the inner chamber.

The two-judge bench of Chief Justice Subhasis Talapatra and Justice Savitri Ratho reserved judgment after hearing the submissions of senior advocate Buddhadev Routray on behalf of the temple managing committee and senior advocate Pitambar Acharya representing the petitioner.

Acharya submitted that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), in an affidavit, had stated that inspection of the interior of Ratna Bhandar has not been possible for over five years for want of permission from Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA). Though the ASI had sought permission for it in a letter dated August 8, 2022, to the chief administrator of SJTA, it is still not given, he added.

Routray pointed out that a resolution for opening the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar for inspection and repair work and inventory of ornaments, jewellery, and other valuables during Rath Yatra next year, was passed by the managing committee in a meeting held on August 4, 2023.