Odisha HC notice to SJTA chief on PwD access to Srimandir
CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has issued notice to the chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on a petition seeking intervention for making arrangements for free movement of wheelchair-bound differently-abled devotees within the temple complex.
The division bench of Acting Chief Justice Arindam Sinha and Justice MS Sahoo issued the notice on the petition filed by Mrinalini Padhi, a high court lawyer. Padhi sought direction to SJTA to implement the assurance given by the temple authority in their affidavit before the Supreme Court to provide access to the wheelchair-bound devotees in the Jagannath temple, as mentioned in the order November 4, 2019.
Padhi also sought direction to SJTA to provide access to the wheelchair-bound persons to have a darshan of the Lord.
Appearing in person, Padhi submitted that the temple administration had stated to the Supreme Court that special arrangements are being made, for differently-abled persons to enter the temple. She relied on the temple managing committee’s September 27, 2018 resolution extracted in an interim order passed by the Supreme Court on November 4, 2019.
Additional government advocate Debasis Tripathy submitted that chief administrator SJTA may be called upon to answer. Accordingly, the bench said, “As such we require chief administrator SJTA to answer. Issue notice,” and fixed February 12 as the next date.
As mentioned in the Supreme Court’s 2019 order, the SJTA had assured that for hassle-free darshan of the deities by differently-abled persons, special arrangements were being made. “The differently-abled persons will enter the temple through North Gate, and will have darshan of deity from ‘Bahara katha’ (inside Nata Mandap near Jay Bijay Dwar). For this purpose, a ramp is under construction,” the SJTA had submitted.