CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Wednesday imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) while dismissing the petition filed by it for review of the order which directed to restore within three months the Danadhyakshya Seva on February 5, 2024.
The division bench of Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice MS Raman directed to deposit the amount with the High Court Bar Association Advocates’ Welfare Fund within four weeks for suppressing material facts in the review petition.
The court was irked as the petition was found to be the second successive one for review, but there was no mention about the review petition which was dismissed earlier on June 21, 2024.
The bench refused to entertain the petition as the SJTA failed to show “sufficient and reasonable” cause for the inordinate delay in filing it. The review petition was required to be filed on or before March 6, 2024, but it was filed on July 16, 2024.
Expressing displeasure that in the second review petition, the temple administration sought to reargue the matter contending that Danadhyakshya Seva is not hereditary by changing counsel, the bench said, “Such a practice is deprecated not only by the Supreme Court of India but also this court and other high courts.”
“As is well-settled that rearguing the matter or agitating the same issue, which had already been decided while disposing of the writ petition in the presence of counsel for the parties and having afforded opportunity of hearing, is impermissible in the garb of petition for review of judgment,” the bench observed.
In the February judgment while directing to restore the Danadhyakshya Seva, the high court had observed that the hereditary seva of the deity, mentioned in the record-of-rights, should not have been discontinued due to financial stringency, especially considering the substantial funds being allocated by the state government for the development of the temple.
The judgement assumes significance as the devotees/pilgrims/visitors, who come to the temple for darshan will get prasad in the event Danadhyakshya Seva is restored.
According to the case records, the temple authorities discontinued Danadhyakshya Seva over 68 years ago. Under the age-old arrangement Danadhyakshya sevaks were appointed by the king. In return, they were getting their share for the betterment of the temple, and the devotees were getting prasad.