By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI /BHUBANESWAR/PURI: Puri King Gajapati Divya Singh Deb and SJTA Chief Administrator Dr Krishan Kumar have the last laugh on Saturday after as 2 more Petitions file in
Supreme Court seeking modification of Order on Rath Yatra, sources said. A total of 3 Petitions have been filed in SC seeking revision of order on Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri in Odisha on June 23.
The petitions were filed by Bijan Paikaray and Sanjiv Kumar Chinara. They have appealed the court for modification in the present order and allow to conduct Ratha Jatra only in Puri scheduled on June 23 by enforcing a complete shutdown in the town if required during the event.
On Friday, one petition was filed in the Supreme Court the petitioner Aftab Hossen from Nayagarh district. He also sought modification of the order of the Supreme Court to conduct the Rath Yatra by sevayats (servitors) only. The petitioner stated that Puri is in green zone and Covid-19 has not spread in the town. Whatever infection has been found is among the migrants returning from other states.
“If the Puri Town is completely shut down on the day of Rath Yatra, the festival can conducted smoothly by sevayats only and no infection will happen to general public and that will meet the ends of justice,” he had submitted.
On behalf of Hindu community, World Hindu Federation – Bangladesh Chapter request the Supreme Court and Government of India to rethink and withdrawn this order and give permission to conduct the rally of Rath Jatra this year by maintaining the social distance.
The efforts of Puri King Gajapati Divya Singh Deb and SJTA Chief Dr Krishan Kumar for holding Rath Yatra have been hailed in social media. “If Supreme Court allowed Rath Yatra with modified order, Dr Krishan Kumar and Gajapati King deserves praise,” they said.
Meanwhile, trolling continues in Social Media against BJD Puri MP Pinaki Mishra and BJP National Spokesperson Dr Sambit Patra, who fought unsuccessfully from the Pilgrimage city in 2019 for their silence on Rath Yatra in Puri following Supreme Court’s decision disallowing it.
“Pinaki Mishra representing BJD in Lok Sabha from Puri since 2009 while BJP National Spokesperson Dr Sambit Patra fought unsuccessfully from the Pilgrimage city in 2019 by saying “Lord Jagannath Called and Modi Sent”,” sources said while adding that “ When Lord Jaganath culture is at stake, both Mishra and Dr Patra keeping studied silence.
“Both Puri MP Pinaki Mishra and the BJP candidate during 2019 elections Dr Sambit Patra have gone missing after Supreme Court order on staying Srikhetra Rath Yatra,” twitted Senior Journalist Saswat Panigrahi.
Acting on a plea of a NGO, Odisha Vikas Parishad , which had pointed out the public health risk involved if the Annual Sojourn of Trinity is allowed to take place, he Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the Annual Rath Jatra In Holy City of Puri in Odisha.
This is the first time after 285 years that the Rath Yatra would not be held. The last time the world famous car festival could not be held was between 1733 and 1735 when Mohammed Taqi Khan, deputy governor of Odisha, attacked the Jagannath temple in Puri, forcing the shifting of the idols of trinity to Ganjam district.
Leader of Opposition in State Assembly Pradipta Naik was of the view that instead of moving the court, the Government should have found a way out to organise Rath Yatra after holding wider consultations with experts. The Government lacked clarity on the issue from the very beginning, he said, further alleging that the Government indirectly stopped the festival that involves an emotional issue for 4.5 crore people of Odisha.
