CUTTACK : THE Orissa High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to furnish details of transactions entered into pursuant to the amendment of Section 16 (2) of the Shri Jagannath Temple Act, 1955.
The Act was amended by promulgating an ordinance in January 2022. Dilip Kumar Baral, a resident of Puri filed a petition challenging it on the ground that amendment had given more power to the temple managing committee at the cost of the state government.
The division bench of Acting Chief Justice BR Sarangi and Justice MS Raman sought details after petitioner counsel Anup Kumar Mohapatra pointed out that the state government had not given details of the transactions entered into since the amendment of the temple Act in the counter affidavit filed in response to the petition.
The bench directed the government to file a fresh affidavit indicating the details before the matter is taken up next after two weeks.
In the counter affidavit, the state government stated that a ‘uniform policy’ had been formulated in consonance with the Act to sell the land of the Shri Jagannath Temple Managing Committee to the persons in long possession of the same on the rate fixed under the policy in a transparent and convenient number to both the temple and the possessor.
A large number of alienation cases were pending due to specific provisions contained in section 16 (2) of the 1955 Act. To simplify and expedite the process of land alienation, the government has taken necessary steps to suitably amend the Shri Jagannath Temple Act, 1955, the affidavit said. As part of the simplification process, the amended Act delegated power to the temple managing committee, SJTA chief administrator, collector of Puri and other authorities at the district level.