SC Stays Ratha Jatra at Puri Jagannath Temple

Bhubaneswar (Reporters Today Bureau): In wake of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, the Supreme Court today stayed the Rath Yatra at the Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri and all activities related to it. The Rath Yatra is scheduled to commence on June 23. The Chief Justice (CJI) Sharad Arvind Bobde said, “Lord Jagannath won’t forgive us if we allow it.”

As per hearing by the court, the Ratha Jatra will not be held this year due to Coronavirus pandemic. The 9-day-long sojourn of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra was scheduled to begin on June 23.

On June 15, a petition was moved in the SC by an NGO seeking direction to stay on the Rath Yatra. The petitioner, NGO Odisha Vikas Parishad, had stated that if the Rath Yatra is allowed, then COVID-19 infection will increase manifold. It sought an immediate order directing the respondents, including the Odisha government, not to grant any permission for holding the Rath Yatra till the disposal of the accompanying writ petition.