Odisha court orders demolition of Biju Samadhi from Swargadwar

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Puri, Jan 3:

A local civil court here has ordered the collector of Puri district and Puri Municipality to demolish the Samadhi of former Odisha Chief Minister Biju Patnaik from Swargadwar, the cremation ground for Hindus here, within three months.

Chief Mminister Naveen Patnaik paying floral tributes at the samadhi of his late father Biju Patnaik on New Year's day. The samadhi is now set to be demolished after the court order (Pic: Biswaranjan Mishra)
Chief Mminister Naveen Patnaik paying floral tributes at the samadhi of his late father Biju Patnaik on New Year’s day. The samadhi is now set to be demolished after the court order
(Pic: Biswaranjan Mishra)

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, it may be noted, had paid floral tributes at his late father’s tomb as recently as on New Year’s Day.

In her judgment in the case last Friday, Civil Judge (Junior Division), Sreemoyi Acharya also warned that the court would initiate action in accordance with the law if the district administration failed to act on the order.

Adjudicating on a case field by lawyer Ramesh Prasad Singh and two others way back in 1999, the court ordered that no construction unwarranted by public purpose can take place inside the crematorium premises.

Seeking the court’s early intervention in the matter, the petitioners had said that the area of the Swargadwar ghat, used by the Hindus from across the country, had been reduced to only 0.46 decimals after the construction of the samadhi.

“There would be no space left for the common people to perform the last rites if the samadhis of important persons or political leaders are allowed to be constructed”, they had pointed out.

Singh has hailed the judgment that came nearly 16 years after he filed the case in 1999.”I have the highest regard for Biju Patnaik. But his memorial should be built elsewhere and not at a place where the bodies of Hindus are cremated,” he said.

Curiously, the district administration and the Puri municiplality have sought to wash theri hands off the whole issue saying they had no role in the construction of the 40X40 ft samadhi of the late Biju Patnaik.

Collector Arabind Agarwal said he had not seen the court order and would take appropriate action after perusing it.

 

 

 

Also Read

Comments are closed.