Orissa HC upholds stand taken by temple managing committee

Ending the row over Puri Shankaracharya seeking complete ban on devotees climbing chariots during Lord Jagannath Rath Jatra, Orissa High Court today upheld the stand taken by the temple managing committee to go by the seer's opinion.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice A K Goel and Justice A K Rath held that the stand of Sri Jagannath temple managing committee to go by the opinion of Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati has to prevail as far as rituals during the car festival are concerned.
Disposing of two PILs seeking the court's intervention to resolve the impasse over the issue, the bench held that any contrary opinion of the state government will obviously be inoperative.

The court said the state government may, however, perform the duty of maintaining law and order and providing assistance for smooth conduct of car festival in accordance with the decision of the managing committee on the issue of rituals which is based upon opinion of the Shankarachaya of Puri.
Correction of this decision is neither a subject matter for consideration of state government nor before this court, the HC maintained.
Sri Jagannath Temple's managing committee is chaired by the Gajapati King of Puri, Divyasingha Deb and its members include the Shankaracharya of Puri, the temple administrator, the district Collector, Puri and 36 Nijogs or priests who perform the ritual services at the Jagannath temple.