Puri Shankaracharya seeks review of SC order on cancellation of Rath Yatra

BHUBANESWAR: Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati on Friday urged the Supreme Court to review its Thursday’s order on cancellation of June 23 Rath Yatra in view of Covid-19 pandemic.
It coincided with a Nayagarh-based man, identified as Aftab Hussein, filing a petition in the Supreme Court, seeking partial modification of the order to ensure conduct of car festival in Puri amid complete shutdown. Amid statewide public outcry over cancellation of Rath Yatra, a number of other organisations too have filed review petitions in the apex court, though Rath Yatra is barely three days away. The state government, which decided not to challenge the SC order, has been drawing flak from different quarters for failing to convince the apex court to observe Rath Yatra in restricted manner.
Puri Shankaracharya said the SC’s judgment is understandable in the context of public health and safety amid Covid-19 outbreak. “I welcome the order. But the Supreme Court should reconsider its judgment and allow the car festival in restricted manner. Only some people, who are associated with the conduct of Rath Yatra, should be allowed to perform the rituals. Temple tradition should be safeguarded, though with certain riders during the unprecedented crisis,” the Shankaracharya said.
The top Hindu seer opined that the chariot pulling should not be stopped. “The sibling deities—Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra—should be brought onto the chariots. In view of Covid-19 pandemic, devotees should be barred from congregating on Grand Road. The chariot pulling festival can be telecast live on television for convenience of devotees,” said the Shankaracharya, who is likely to guide the temple administration on how to observe Rath Yara rituals in an alternative manner inside the temple amid the unforeseen circumstances.
Responding to the Shankaracharya’s remarks, Puri king Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb said the temple managing committee had also proposed to the state government to allow Rath Yatra by banning the participation of devotees. “I feel the government perhaps did not consider the managing committee’s proposal and told the Supreme Court that the Rath Yatra, if allowed, would draw 10 or 12 lakh people. We should also understand that the government must have taken the decision in view of the worsening situation of Covid-19,” Dibyasingha Deb said.
Asked about the possibility of filing review petition, Deb said the state government already decided to comply with the Supreme Court’s order. “We (temple managing committee) have been asked by the state government to comply with the SC order. So, it is not feasible now to challenge the order,” Deb said.