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Orissa HC gives nod to Durga Puja celebrations in Puri mandap
The state government in September this year had restricted among others, the idol sizes of the deities to only four feet as part of its Covid-19 guidelines.
Recognising the importance of the rituals of Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, the Orissa High Court on Tuesday allowed the Satasahi Puja Committee of the holy town to go ahead with the Durga puja even though the idol is taller than the stipulated size fixed by the government.
The state government in September this year had restricted among others, the idol sizes of the deities to only four feet as part of its Covid-19 guidelines.
“As a one-time measure, if the idol of the committee has already been constructed beyond four feet and having a connection with the rituals of Shree Jagannath Temple, which has got special status in Odisha, this Court does not want to disturb the same and allow the petitioner (Satasahi Puja Committee) to go ahead with puja”, said an order delivered by the Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq.
The high court also directed the Puri district administration to make separate arrangements for immersion of Satasahi puja Committee deity by following the Covid-19 guidelines issued by the Union and the state government.
“The arrangement is only for this Durga puja but not for any future pujas to be held in Puri,” the HC said declining to extend this relief to other puja mandaps of Puri, as was also requested by the petitioners counsel.
