Supreme Court To Hear Pleas Against Stay Order On Puri Rath Yatra Today

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear four petitions on Monday related to modification of its June 18 order staying the annual Rath Yatra in Puri and elsewhere in Odisha, due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. The Rath yatra scheduled to be held at the Jagannath temple in Puri on June 23, was stayed by the Supreme Court in view of the likely presence of devotees in large numbers.

A Supreme court bench led by chief Justice SA Bobde had ruled that such large gatherings could not be allowed during an ongoing pandemic adding that Lord Jagannath would forgive us if the Rath yatra is stayed this year in the interest of public health and safety of citizens.

With the Rath yatra scheduled to take place on Tuesday the Naveen Patnaik led BJD government in Odisha finds itself in the crosshairs of devotees and the Puri temple officials. The Shankaracharya of Goverdhan Peeth Swami Shri Nischalananda Saraswati alleged that there was an organised conspiracy to stop the Ratha Yatra. He is among some of the important religious leaders who have frowned upon the Odisha government's handling of the Ratha Yatra issue.

The Odisha government however, is bound by the Supreme Court order in the Ratha Yatra issue and therefore, it remains to be seen whether the Apex Court would modify its June 18 order.