Servitors’ body petitions HC over graft in aid scheme

Cuttack: Disbursal of financial assistance to servitors of the Jagannath Temple in Puri following the Covid-19 outbreak has come under judicial scrutiny, with the Orissa high court taking up a petition that claims several fake servitors received benefits in place of genuine ‘Palia Sebaks’ of the Pani Apata Nijog.
The single-judge bench of K R Mohapatra on July 3 issued a notice to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA). As an interim measure, the court said disbursal of emoluments to the Palia Sebaks of the Pani Apata Nijog would be subject to the result of a writ petition.
The Pani Apata Nijog refers to the servitors who draw water from the temple well and supply all the water needed throughout the day for rituals. The Nijog’s secretary Vimasena Apata filed a petition seeking an independent inquiry into the inclusion of fake sebakas in the list of servitors receiving financial assistance. According to the petition, a number of outsiders were included in the list of Sebakas of the Pani Apata Nijoga and they have been shown to have performed Pani Apata Seba (service).
Advocate Dayananda Mohapatra argued for the petitioner and advocate Subrat Satpathy appeared on behalf of the SJTA, when the case was taken up through video conferencing.
The SJTA had provided Rs 5,000 in April and Rs 5,000 in June as part of a package for servitors whose livelihood has been adversely affected by closure of the shrine since March 20.