Orissa HC Seeks Fresh Affidavit From ASI On Repair Of Jagamohan Of Puri Jagannath Temple

Cuttack: Orissa High Court on Wednesday refused to accept the affidavit of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) regarding the repair of the Jagamohan of Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri.

The Court described the document furnished by the ASI as incomplete and directed it to submit a fresh affidavit with detailed information on the steps taken for the repair of the vital structure of the 12th century shrine.

The HC, which has sought details about the steps taken since 2017, scheduled next hearing in the matter on November 15

Earlier on November 6, Acting Chief Justice BR Sarangi had sought a detailed report from the ASI after hearing two different petitions on the Jagamohan and the Ratna Bhandar. He observed that no progress has been made in the repair of the Jagamohan and Ratna Bhandar and sought the details from the ASI on the steps taken since 2017 to repair the two structures.

The court had fixed the next hearing of the petitions on November 8 and directed the ASI to submit the report by that date.

On July 10, the ASI had informed the High Court that the repair work of the Jagamohan and the Nata Mandap had been completed. The HC had asked the ASI to submit an affidavit regarding completion of the repair work at the earliest.

It may be noted that the High Court had on August 1 directed the state government to form a special committee on reopening of the Ratna Bhandar to carry out repair works and conduct an inventory of the valuables kept inside it. The court issued the order after hearing a petition filed by senior BJP leader Sameer Mohanty.