The State Government continues to be evasive about a decision on whether or not to accept the Puri Shankaracharya’s verdict against devotees climbing of chariots and touching the deities during the annual Rath Yatra.
The Government has now taken a plea that it will wait for the order of the Odisha High Court in response to a PIl filed on Wednesday for judicial intervention in the contentious issue. The High Court is likely to take up the case on Friday.
The Government’s dillydallying was reflected on Thursday by the committee formed to resolve the controversy. The first meeting of the committee, which was constituted after an all-party meeting on Wednesday, was held on Thursday at the law Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo’s chamber at the State Secretariat, but it failed to come up with any solution.
“The committee will be meeting again tomorrow and we are in fact waiting for the High Court’s order on a PIl filed in the matter,” committee head and Puri MlA Maheswar Mohanty told reporters after the meeting was over.
Mohanty, however, refused to divulge the details of the discussions held at the meeting.
law Minister Arun Sahoo, Puri MP Pinaki Mishra, Special DGP Sanjeev Marik, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee, Water Resources Secretary Suresh Mohapatra and law Secretary Mihir Parida attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, senior BJP MlA KV Singh Deo dubbed the committee as a ruling BJD panel with the Puri MlA and Puri MP being the only political members of the committee.
Singh Deo accused the Government of procrastinating its decision on the issue and demanded to know why the Shankaracharya, the Gajapati Maharaja and other concerned sections like the temple servitors have not been included in the committee.