Total 18 persons, including the Shree Jagannath temple administration and the Gobardhan Peeth on the Tuesday appeared before the Tehsildar Court who is adjudicating the Swargadwar land cases involving over 30 acres of cremation land.
The Tehsildar fixed April 21 for further hearing into the cases.
According to reports, the Shree Jagannath temple administration in 1990 had filed an Odisha Estate Abolition (OEA) case in the Puri Tehsildar court to record 30 acres of Swargdwar cremation land which were wrongly recorded in favour of many persons. The temple stated that land belonged to the temple since 1899 and without their knowledge, those were recorded in favour of many persons.
The temple lawyer pleaded to restore ownership.
Interestingly in 1998, the case was dismissed by the Tehsildar. The temple preferred an appeal in the ADM Court.
The ADM in June 2006 had directed the Tehsildar to initiate a fresh case and conduct hearing in the case and dispose on merit. Despite the direction of the ADM court, the Tehsildar did precious little for adjudication of the case till the RDC directed the Tehsildar to dispose the case at the earliest after hearing all the parties.
Accordingly, the Tehsildar had issued notice to persons to place relevant documents with the court stating their claim.
In the meanwhile, Goberdhan Peeth spokesperson Manoj Kumar Rath said to mediapersons that attempt to record about five acres of Bebandobast (unsettled land) temple was unjust and improper as the area includes the seat of Sankaracharya. Rath demanded that Bebandobast area should be recorded in favour of the Gobardhan mutt.