Shankaracharya Rath climbing issue: Mukti Mandap moves Odisha HC

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, Jul 12:

Mukti Mandap Pandit Sabha (a body of religious scholars of the Sri Jagannath temple in Odisha’s Puri) has moved the Orissa High Court to be made a party in the case opposing Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth’s climbing atop chariots during the Rath Yatra.

While the petition moved by one Basant Kumar Behera opposing Shankaracharya’s climbing atop chariots is being adjudicated by the High Court, the vice president of the scholarly body has moved an intervention petition in the court seeking to be made a party in the case.

A division bench of the High Court comprising of Justice Indrajit Mohanty and Justice D P Choudhury while conducting a hearing on the main petition on Monday has fixed Friday for the hearing on the intervention petition.

On the other hand, the court has directed Shankaracharya to file his reply by August 1 in the case while fixing the next date of hearing on August 10. Sources in the know said the Shankaracharya will have to clarify in his reply as to whether he has any role in the rituals conducted atop the chariots.

While senior lawyer Ashok Mohanty conducted the case on behalf of the petitioner, lawyer Subrat Kumar Satpathy conducted the arguments on behalf of the Sri Jagannath Temple Managing Committee.

As per case record details, while the state government, the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has been earlier served notices on the writ petition opposing Shankaracharya’s climbing atop chariots in a situation when ordinary devotees have been debarred from climbing atop chariots, the Shankaracharya was made a party in the case and was served a notice on January 12, this year.

The petitioner has cited that the SJTA was inviting the Shankaracharya and his aides to have darshan of the deities atop the chariots adding that the Shankaracharya didn’t have any right to climb atop chariots according to the Sri Jagannath Temple Record of Rights.

The petitioner has further cited that only sevayats (servitors) who are connected with the rituals atop the chariots can climb the chariots.