CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Thursday disposed of all interim applications (IAs) seeking stay on construction activities undertaken on Bagala Dharmasala land in Puri town by private parties. The division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice BP Routray declined to pass any stay order saying the court had already on August 9 directed that “all actions taken in this regard shall be subject to further orders of the court”.
The Bench however continued hearing of the main petitions. After a brief hearing of senior advocate Pitambar Acharya’s submissions on behalf of Patra, the bench directed for listing of the case next on December 16.
The IAs were filed by Jaganath Bastia, a resident of Puri town and BJP leader and party national spokesperson Sambit Patra, who had in two separate PILs challenged the sale of portions of Bagala Dharmasala land by the district administration to rehabilitate lodge owners evicted from the site under the heritage project. The eviction was being carried out within 75 metre radius of Sri Jagannath Temple.
The dispute has centred round the contention that the Bagala Dharmasala land belonged to Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu under Amrutamanohi status. Citing a Supreme Court ruling, Acharya submitted that the sale of the land is illegal as the Shri Jagannath Temple Act, 1955 prohibited transfer or sale of Amrutamanohi lands. Amrutamanohi lands are extensive properties endowed to Lord Jagannath but in the possession of Mutts and other religious and charitable institutions connected with the 12th century shrine as caretakers and cannot be transferred or sold.
The PILs were filed after sale of plots measuring 340 decimal out of the 2.574 acre of Bagala Dharmasala land to rehabilitate lodge owners.The district administration had gone ahead with rehabilitation of more lodge owners on plots measuring another 1.933 acre of the Bagala Dharmasala land while the petitions were pending in the court.