Allowing an amendment to an earlier writ petition to make the Shankaracharya of Puri as an additional respondent to it, the Orissa High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Puri seer asking him to file his counters in an affidavit.
One Basant Kumar Behera of Cuttack city had filed the PIl last year questioning the propriety of the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC) in seeking the opinion of the Puri seer to suggest as to who have the rights to climb atop the chariots of the lords during the Rath Yatra and touch the deities.
Admitting the original PIl in July last year, a Bench of Justices Indrajit Mahanti and DP Choudhury had issued notices to the State government and the SJTMC. Subsequently, the HC felt that the Puri seer should also be made a respondent in it and accordingly, had asked the petitioner to amended the petition, informed the petitioner advocate Amrit Mishra.
Stating that the move by the SJTMC to seek the opinion of the Shankaracharya and subsequently accepting his opinion over the issue was “erroneous” and “illegal”, the petitioner had pleaded urging the High Court to quash the decision of the SJTMC taken on August 17, 2013.
It may be mentioned here that following a hue and cry made during the Rath Yatra of 2012-when a foreign national climbed atop the chariots-the temple managing committee sought the opinion from the Shankaracharya over the controversial issue.
The Shankaracharya in his opinion said only Brahmins, who are engaged in seva puja are entitled to climb atop the chariots and touch the deities. He further added that he himself and the Gajapati Maharaja are also entitled to climb atop the chariots during the Rath Yatra to have seva puja.