Cuttack: The BJP spokesman Sambit Patra on Tuesday filed a petition in the Orissa High Court seeking restoration of the Bagala Dharmasala land to Lord Jagannath’s ownership.
Speaking at a press conference, here Patra said there are discrepancies in the Dharmasala land’s Sabik Record of Rights (Sabik RoR) and Hal Record of Rights (Hal RoR). “The Sabik RoR mentions the area of the Dharmasala land as 3 acre and 190 decimal, but the Hal RoR states it as 2 acre and 574 decimal,” he said. The next hearing of the case has been scheduled on Monday.
Earlier, Puri Tehsildar and Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) had submitted in the High Court that the land on which Bagala Dharmasala was built belongs to the Odisha government. However, the court directed the administration and the Advocate General to submit the details through an affidavit. The court also directed other parties including the petitioner Jagannath Bastia to furnish a reply in connection with the mater.
The Dharmasala land has been embroiled in controversy after the Puri district administration decided to sell it to six private hoteliers triggering protests from different quarters including BJP.