Cuttack: A fresh petition was filed in the Orissa high court on Monday on opening of the Jagannath Temple, Puri, and other religious places in the state. The petitioner has alleged that the state government has not complied with the high court order of August 10 after the court took up analogous hearing of two PILs seeking direction for opening of religious places and places of worship.
One of the petitioners, Jayanta Kumar Bal, has filed the fresh petition. “The judicial order should be complied with as early as possible. The authorities are not taking any decision as the high court had not specified any time limit for a decision on the issue,” the petitioner stated.
The Union government has opened religious places from July 8. The other states have opened religious places but Odisha government is not taking any decision, the petitioner stated. The petitioner has sought a direction fixing a time limit with regards to opening of religious places for worship and practices.
In the August 10 order, the high court said, “While it is not issuing any general direction, this court deems it appropriate to require the state government to examine the grievance of the petitioners, keeping in view the observations of the Supreme Court in the July 31, 2020, order related to Jharkhand and take a decision as it may deem appropriate, depending on the situation prevalent, from place to place and time to time, with regard to the entry of public in different places of worship in the State of Odisha, by adhering to the norms of social distancing and use of masks and sanitizer, etc”.
In its July 31, 2020 order, the Supreme Court order said, “The state cannot shirk from its responsibility to enforce social distancing norms, particularly when there is opening up of such places throughout the world. As the state government has to make proper arrangements, we refrain from issuing a direction to the state government; however, we earnestly request them to find out a possibility of limited entry of the general public in temples, churches and mosques in the state”.
One of the petitioners, Jayanta Kumar Bal, has filed the fresh petition. “The judicial order should be complied with as early as possible. The authorities are not taking any decision as the high court had not specified any time limit for a decision on the issue,” the petitioner stated.
The Union government has opened religious places from July 8. The other states have opened religious places but Odisha government is not taking any decision, the petitioner stated. The petitioner has sought a direction fixing a time limit with regards to opening of religious places for worship and practices.
In the August 10 order, the high court said, “While it is not issuing any general direction, this court deems it appropriate to require the state government to examine the grievance of the petitioners, keeping in view the observations of the Supreme Court in the July 31, 2020, order related to Jharkhand and take a decision as it may deem appropriate, depending on the situation prevalent, from place to place and time to time, with regard to the entry of public in different places of worship in the State of Odisha, by adhering to the norms of social distancing and use of masks and sanitizer, etc”.
In its July 31, 2020 order, the Supreme Court order said, “The state cannot shirk from its responsibility to enforce social distancing norms, particularly when there is opening up of such places throughout the world. As the state government has to make proper arrangements, we refrain from issuing a direction to the state government; however, we earnestly request them to find out a possibility of limited entry of the general public in temples, churches and mosques in the state”.
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