Ratna Bhandar Opening: Orissa HC Issues Notice To Puri Gajapati Maharaja & 3 Others

Cuttack: The Orissa High Court on Wednesday issued notices to four persons, including Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deb, while hearing a petition filed by senior BJP leader Samir Mohanty, seeking direction for inventory of all the valuables inside Ratna Bhandar of Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri and necessary repair works inside it.

Notices have been served on Srimandir Managing Committee Chairman Divyasingha Deb, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration’s Chief Administrator Ranjan Kumar Das, DG of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and its superintendent.

The court has posted the next hearing in the matter to August 7.

In his petition, the former BJP president had sought direction for a high-power committee under the chairmanship of the Governor or a sitting judge of the HC to supervise preparation of the inventory of the ornaments and other jewellery of Lord Jagannath kept inside the Ratna Bhandar. He had also alleged that the state government was not undertaking necessary repair works despite its dilapidated condition.

He further urged that the Ratna Bhandar be opened for taking up repair and construction work of its inner wall as per the letter of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and recommendation of the technical committee.

Mohanty further sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the missing keys of the Ratna Bhandar. Though a judicial commission was set up to probe into the missing key episode, the state government was yet to table the finding report in the assembly, he pointed out.

According to laws, the inventory of ornaments kept in the Ratna Bhandar should be updated from time to time. But this has not been done. The temple management committee has already requested the government to reopen it for repairing the cracks, which has developed in its inner wall. But no decision has been taken yet,” Gajapati Maharaja had recently told reporters.

The Ratna Bhandar was last opened in April 2018. A 16-member team including experts of the ASI had entered the outer chamber but could not go to the inner chamber as its key was missing. They inspected the structure from a distance and reported that its condition was weak.