The Supreme Court of India has today dismissed the pleas challenging the Odisha High Court order that had refused to stay the construction work of the Odisha government under the ‘Parikrama Prakalpa’ or the redevelopment work around the Meghanada wall of the Sri Jagannath Temple in Puri.
As per reports, the Supreme Court has told in its verdict that there is no merit in the PILs filed, and such filing such petitions are a waste of judicial time. It added that such frivolous PILs need to be ‘nipped in the bud’ so that development work is not stopped. The petitioners have been fined by the SC with a penalty of Rs 1 lakh each.
The SC has mentioned that the petitioners’ plea is against the interests of the millions of devotees who would benefit from the project. It also mentioned that by intentionally hindering and stopping the project, the petitioners were only seeking personal glorification.
The SC also expressed displeasure over the manner the petitioners had sought early listing of the matter, saying that the petitioners had made a huge hue and cry as if ‘heavens will fall if the case is not heard on priority’.
The Odisha government’s construction work around the 12th century Jagannath Temple’s Meghanad wall, to develop facilities for devotees and overall beautification of the premises, can therefore continue unabated.
A bench of justices Hima Kohli and Gavai held that the Odisha government cannot be stopped from carrying out excavation and construction activities around the temple. It also observed that the current project work is as per the directions issued by the apex court in the 2019 verdict of Mrinalini Padhi Vs Union of India and also in accordance with the Ancient Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act 1958.
The apex court asserted that it is in the larger interests of the millions of devotees visiting the Jagannath Temple to construct toilets, pavements and other facilities around the outside area temple.
The petitioners had accused that the state government had not obtained all necessary clearances before carrying out the excavation works. The state government had mentioned that all necessary permissions and clearances have been obtained.
It is notable here that Senior Advocate Pinaki Mishra who appeared for the Odisha government in the case in the SC is also the sitting MP of Puri. He has hailed the verdict as ‘Lord Jagannath’s will’ and has stated that Naveen Patnaik has been vindicated.
He has always tried to make this apolitical, by taking all parties along every step of the way, and inviting all leaders to the foundation stone laying ceremony till date. I fervently appeal to all to stop impeding this noble venture for personal or political gain.
— Pinaki Misra, Puri MP (@OfPinaki) June 3, 2022
What is the Shrimandira Parikrama Project?
The Shrimandira Parikrama Prakalpa or the Puri Jagannath Temple heritage corridor project was inaugurated by Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik in November 2021. Gajapati Maharaj of Puri, the erstwhile ‘king of Odisha’ had performed the Shilanyas rituals for the project in a grand ceremony.
Some glimpses of Shila sthapana after the Shila Bije ritual.#JaiJagannatha#Shilanyas#ShreeMandiraParikrama pic.twitter.com/xWx9XQdsVl
— Shree Jagannatha Temple Office, Puri (@SJTA_Puri) November 24, 2021
Under the heritage corridor project, a 75-metre area surrounding the temple was first cleared of all illegal encroachments, and was paved and widened for the grand Ratha Yatra festival. The project includes the development of multiple facilities in order to protect the 12th-century temple wall and provide devotees with a clean, and safe space while visiting the temple.
Mesmerising! This is the Draft Architectural Plan of Shree Jagannath Temple Heritage Corridor, unveiled by Hon'ble CM @Naveen_Odisha .#Puri #Odisha pic.twitter.com/D7PLFwkwpR
— Sujeet Kumar 🇮🇳 (@SujeetKOfficial) December 30, 2019
In August 2019, the Odisha government announced that all structures around a 75-metre radius of the Jagannath Temple’s Meghanada wall will be removed to ensure the safety and integrity of the 12th-century shrine. The structures identified under the clearing plan were shoe stands, government facilities like electricity supply buildings, information centres, police outposts and shops and stalls that had come up over the years.
The decision was taken to implement the first phase of the recommendations made by the justice BP Das Commission.
The anti-encroachment drive of the government was met with widescale protests from various groups. CM Naveen Patnaik has stated that his vision is to transform Puri into a world-class heritage city.
