Wheelchair Access To Jagannath Temple In Puri: Contempt Plea Filed Against SJTA In Orissa HC

Cuttack: A contempt of court petition has been filed in Orissa High Court against Shree Jagannath Temple Admiration (SJTA) in Puri in a case of making the temple accessible to devotees on wheelchair.

The contempt petition has been filed by Jitendra Kumar Biswal of Bargarh district following non-compliance of the HC order by the authorities on his earlier petition.

Biswal had filed the petition in the High Court seeking to make Jagannath Temple in Puri disabled-friendly. The bench of Justice Biswanath Rath heard the petition on February 28 and directed the opposite parties to take a collective decision. The petitioner had made the SJTA, Chief Administrator of Jagannath Temple and Puri district collector opposite parties.

The court observed that looking at the urgency of the matter, a decision in the matter is required to be taken by the administrative authority. It directed that the entire exercise should be completed within one month from the date of communication of an authenticated copy of the order by Biswal.

In compliance with the HC order, Biswal forwarded the copy of the writ petition to the opposite parties on March 7. All the parties also received the copy.

As one month time given by the court expired but no decision was taken by the authorities concerned in spite of reminders, the petitioner filed a contempt petition on August 4 in the High Court against the opposite parties for “deliberately and willfully not complying with the directions of the court”.