Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has made a fresh plea to the Odisha government to take steps for getting the ownership of silver ingots worth Rs 90 crore, recovered from Emar mutt in Puri after a foiled robbery attempt in 2011.
Notably, the ingots were unearthed during investigation by the police into a robbery attempt. Since then, the silver has remained in the custody of the Puri district administration, while the ownership dispute continues in the Orissa High Court.
The SJTA maintained that Lord Jagannath is the rightful owner of the properties of Emar as well as many other mutts in Puri. It urged the government to take necessary steps for the transfer of the silver’s ownership to the Jagannath Temple.
Emar mutt had earlier filed a petition in the High Court seeking the release of the seized silver, which continues to be under the custody of the Puri district administration.
Chief Administrator of SJTA Arabinda Padhee said the temple administration has written to the law department to place the request before the High Court. The Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee has already given its consent to initiate necessary legal process to secure custody of the silver ingots, he said.
The temple administration is hopeful of a favourable verdict, citing a Supreme Court ruling in Dec 2015 in a property dispute with Siddha Mutt, where the temple successfully staked claim to the land.
Officials claimed that Emar mutt’s properties were misappropriated by its former management, while its mutt’s ex-Mahant was arrested on theft charges after the silver bars were unearthed in 2011. Moreover, there is no permanent trust board. The property, therefore, should be donated to Lord Jagannath, they said.
The move has, however, been opposed by Emar mutt’s interim trust board. Only Emar mutt is the rightful owner of the silver, according to interim trustee Narayan Ramanuj Das.
It may be recalled that police recovered 522 silver ingots, each weighing 35-40 kg, from hidden chambers of the mutt. The discovery followed the arrest of two masons in Dhenkanal, who tried to sell some stolen bars.
