The Bharatiya Bikash Parishad led by its State president Surendra Panigrahi filed a writ petition before the Orissa High Court against the Principal Secretary to Government, Department of Revenue and Disaster Management and others.
He stated that, the lands recorded in the name of the deity Radha Mohan Mohapravu and Radha Damodar Mohapravu Mahanta Laxminarayan Das, Guru Mahanta Tirthananda Das of Digapahandi under Ganjam district were sold at a rate far below the market value to private persons including the Trustee, thus causing losses to the deity.
The petitioner also had alleged that, the lands were sold by changing the upset price which was decided by the Endowment Commissioner as Rs 14 lakh per acre to only Rs 3, 84,000 per acre, Panigrahi said in a Press release.
He also informed that, the HC also passed an interim order that, the land of deities cannot be purchased, sold, mutated until further orders of the court.
The High Court on hearing the PIL on April 9 reportedly ordered that, the names of private purchasers shall be provided by the newly added Opposite Party No.7 to the counsel for the petitioner within three days upon which those private purchasers will be added as opposite parties and the consolidated memo of parties shall be filed within a week thereafter.
The order was delivered on April 9 by Chief Justice of the Odisha High Court Dr S Muralidhar and Justice BP Routray in video conferencing mode.
Secondly, the court has also ordered to issue notice to all the opposite parties including the newly added ones. Replies if any be filed within two weeks from the date of service of notice and rejoinder thereto, if any be filed by the next date.
The court in its observation stated that, it is made clear that all the sales of the lands/assets that have taken place will be subject to the final outcome of the present petition. No further encumbrance on the said properties shall be created by any of the purchasers till further orders, the court said.