Orissa HC quashes PIL seeking halt on construction work at Jagannath Temple

CUTTACK:  The Orissa High Court on Wednesday dismissed the PIL seeking intervention against the constructions undertaken at the Jagannath Temple complex as part of the Srimandir Parikrama Project.

Dilip Kumar Baral, a resident of Puri town had filed the PIL expressing apprehensions that the constructions pose threat to the shrine.

While refusing to entertain the PIL further the division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice RK Pattanaik cited the June 3 Supreme Court judgment. The Bench said the Supreme Court had specifically observed, “We are of the considered view that the PIL before the High Court rather than being in public interest, is detrimental to public interest at large.”

“In view of the above observation of the Supreme Court concerning the main PIL here it is not possible for this Court to continue to entertain the same petition as a PIL. Consequently, the said petition is dismissed. As a result, all the intervention applications are also dismissed,” the Bench said.

The Bench also pointed out that the Supreme Court had dismissed both the Special Leave Petitions that had challenged the May 9 order of the High Court and imposed costs of `1 lakh each on the two petitioners.