Bhubaneswar: The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Odisha government to consult Shankaracharya of the Gobardhan Peeth Swami Nischalananda Saraswati and senior servitors of Jagannath Temple in Puri before demolishing heritage mutts and temple properties.
The apex court also directed the state government to submit a status report on the eviction drive so far.
The apex court has posted the next hearing in the case to October 22.
On August 27, the top court had rejected two pleas seeking stay on Puri administration’s eviction drive being undertaken in compliance with the recent Cabinet decision of Odisha Government.
On September 7, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta and SC-appointed Amicus Curiae Ranjit Kumar had said that the Odisha government’s decision to remove structures within a 75-metre radius of the 12th century temple was in sync with the grand design to make Puri a heritage city.
