**Cuttack: ** Orissa High Court on Tuesday directed Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) to open Jagamohana of Srimandir by April 16 and posted the next hearing on the ongoing Jagamohana Repair case to April 19 and ordered the SJTA and Puri district administration to submit its affidavit on the compliance of today’s directive without any fail.
Briefing media, Orissa High Court advocate Ashok Mohapatra informed, “As per the direction of the High Court Bench, the Niti Prasashak (temple ritual administrator) appeared in person. He apprised the Bench that they would open Jagamohana by April 16. Order was also given that the SJTA and Puri district administration should duly apprise the Court after the opening of Jagamohana by April 16. The next date of hearing has been posted on April 19.”
“The report on Bhitara Katha of Srimandir submitted by hon’ble Justice B.P. Das Commission has been received by the Odisha Government on 7.11. 2017. In the report’s Clause 3 (k), the Commission has ruled that no one except the authorized Sebayats (temple servitors) must be allowed to enter the Garba Griha (sanctum sanctorum). This was accepted by the Court,” advocate Mohapatra informed further.
Following the instant summons of the High Court slapped on the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) to personally appear before the Bench on the very afternoon, Srimandir Niti Prasashak Pradip Das represented in person the SJTA and assured the Court to comply its directive religiously.
Earlier, the High Court Bench, hearing on Jagamohana repair case in the first half of the day, had expressed extreme displeasure at SJTA for not mentioning specific date of re-opening of the already repaired Jagamohana despite being ordered earlier.
The Court on the day not only rejected SJTA’s plea for opening Jagamohana on August 1, but also summoned SJTA chief administrator to appear in person before the High Court Bench on the very afternoon.
The Bench in his previous hearing had passed stricture on the SJTA for dilly-dallying on mentioning the specific date in its affidavit for re-opening of the repaired Jagamohana for general public visiting the temple for ‘darshan’ (obeisance) of the deities.
Notably, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in its affidavit submitted with the High Court much earlier has already mentioned that the repair work of the Jagamohana has been completed and could be opened to public by March 31 this year.
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