In emergency meeting, cabinet decides not to challenge SC ban

Bhubaneswar: The state government on Thursday decided not to challenge the Supreme Court ban on holding this year’s Rath Yatra owing to the raging Covid-19 pandemic despite demands from certain sections.
The decision was taken in an emergency cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Naveen Patnaik in which the fallout of the SC direction was discussed.
Government sources said law minister Pratap Jena moved a resolution to obey the SC order after advocate general Ashok Parija apprised the cabinet about it. Law secretary Sashikanta Mishra and senior officials of Sri Jagannath Temple Administration also attended the meeting. The temple administration will separately decide the rituals it would perform inside the temple in the absence of Rath Yatra.
“The sense of the cabinet was that since SC has given primacy to life and health and the prevailing pandemic situation where social distancing is important, the Rath Yatra should be avoided. It was unanimously decided to obey the direction instead of challenging the order,” a government official said.
“Though the decision not to hold Rath Yatra will be painful to all Odias and Jagannath devotees, one has to accept that it’s the Lord Himself who does everything,” the government stated. The statement further said the district administrations have been directed to strictly implement the SC order.
The SC in its direction has said that Article 25 of the Constitution confers the right to freely profess and propagate religion subject to health.
Day before the Supreme Court hearing, several temple committees across the state had already announced not to hold Rath Yatra this time in view of the pandemic.
A government source said from the time the government decided to extend the ban on entry of devotees into religious places till June 30, unlike the Centre’s guidelines allowing the same from June 8, the fate of the Rath Yatra had become uncertain.
The government had never said it would conduct the festival though it had started preparations hoping the Covid situation may improve. Also, June is being considered an important month in Odisha’s fight against Covid-19, when any lapse would cost the state dear, the source added.
Meanwhile, BJP’s Puri MLA Jayanta Kumar Sarangi sought a review petition against the Supreme Court order.
“@narendramodi @Naveen_Odisha @dpradhanbjp @pcsarangi plz take necessary action for filling review petition in SC against rathayatra judgement. Rathayatra with restrictions is possible. Else we can't excuse ourself for damaging our tradition. devotee across the world r unhappy,” the MLA tweeted.