Ray Of Hope For Puri Rath Yatra: Odisha Govt Says It Will Take ‘Favourable Action’ Before SC

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Sunday evening said it will take “favourable action” when the Supreme Court (SC) takes up seeking recall/ modification of its order stopping Rath Yatra in Puri scheduled on June 23, raising a ray hope for those wanting the annual sojourn of the presiding deities of the world famous pilgrim town to take place.

“The state government will take favourable action as legally permissible on the request of the Gajapati Maharaj (of Puri) when the writ petition W.P.(C) No. 571 of 2020 is taken up for hearing before the Hon’ble Supreme Court,” said a press release issued by the Law department.

A host of intervention applications praying for modification of the top court’s order halting Rath Yatra will be put before a single judge bench of SC on Monday. The petitioners have sought permission for pulling of the three chariots by the sevayats and police personnel by adhering to social distancing norms.

However, the single judge bench cannot decide whether those should be allowed to be heard as the verdict was passed by a three-member bench headed by the Chief Justice of India. The SC ruling, intended to prevent possible spread of COVID-19 pandemic, has sent shock waves among the devotees as the tradition had remained unbroken for 284 years despite calamities and pandemics.

The release, not signed by any government functionary but released to the media, followed Chairman of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration and Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb and Shankaracharya of Gobardhan Peeth Swami Nischalananda Saraswati expressing the need for reconsideration of the apex court’s June 18 order and holding of Rath Yatra with adequate preparations to meet COVID management norms.

The Odisha government, which was represented in the SC through its counsel Harish Salve, had not supported holding of Rath Yatra in the state. “The Odisha government stand before Supreme Court on June 18 was primarily related to thousands of Ratha Yatras taking place all over the state which involve lakhs of people and which take place in every GP of the State,” the release said, adding, “More than 5 lakh people of Odisha have returned back to the state since May. Most of them are likely to complete their quarantine period by the end of June.

This along with the onset of monsoon has made the COVID pandemic likely to peak in the state in June and July….. any congregation during the probable peaking period can lead to loss of lives and serious public health hazard.”

On Saturday, the Gajapati Maharaj, in a letter, requested Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to take steps to allow the Rath Yatra in without any congregation of general public and with the state government taking appropriate steps to prevent spread of COVID-19.