Annual Jagannath Rath Yatra will not be held this year, rules apex court

New Delhi: The annual Rath Yatra scheduled to be held on June 23 at the Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri district will not take place this year in view of the Covid

New Delhi: The annual Rath Yatra scheduled to be held on June 23 at the Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri district will not take place this year in view of the Covid -19 pandemic, the Supreme Court ordered on Thursday.

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The order was passed after a plea by an NGO, Odisha Vikas Parishad, pointed out the public health risk involved if more than one million devotees congregate for the event at a time when Covid-19 cases are rising.

“Having regard to the danger presented by such a large gathering of people for the Rath Yatra, we consider it appropriate in the interests of public health and safety of citizens who are devotees to restrain the respondents (state and district authorities and managing committee of Jagannath temple) from holding the Rath Yatra this year”, the bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde ordered.

The court also directed that no such Rath Yatra should be allowed in any other part of Odisha.

“We direct that there shall be no Rath Yatra anywhere in the temple town (Puri) of Odisha or in any other part of the state this year. We further direct that there shall be no activities secular or religious associated with the Rath Yatra during this period”, the order read.

The Rath Yatra lasts for 10 to 12 days and involves a procession of chariots containing the deities Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balabhadra, and sister Devi Subhadra.

On May 7, the Union home ministry granted permission to the Odisha government to carry out the construction of chariots for conducting Rath Yatra subject to the condition that no religious congregation takes place while it is constructed.

The central government had also left it to the discretion of the Odisha government to decide whether or not to hold the Rath Yatra based on the conditions prevailing at the relevant point of time.

The Odisha government, on June 1, issued guidelines extending the lockdown in all Covid-19 containment zones in the state until midnight of June 30. It allowed reopening of prohibited activities in a phased manner in areas outside containment zones, though religious places continue to remain closed for the public till June 30. Even in areas which are not containment zones, social, political, sports, entertainment, academic, cultural and religious functions and other large congregations remain closed.

All the temples, including the Jagannath temple in Puri, are closed across the state for devotees since March 22 in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The petitioner pointed out that despite the restrictions, all the rituals leading to the Rath Yatra, such as Askhay Trutiya (the day on which the construction of the chariots start) and Snana Purnima were allowed to be performed by the state government, leading to the conclusion that the government may allow the Rath Yatra on June 23.

When the case came up for hearing on Thursday, the bench, which also comprised justices Dinesh Maheshwari and AS Bopanna, made it clear at the outset that it was inclined to stay the festivities.

Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing the central government, said that the issue was sensitive and sought a day’s time so that government could study the issue and get back to the court with a response but the bench disagreed.

“This is a very serious matter. We will pass an order today. Lord Jagannath will forgive us,” CJI Bobde remarked.

The petitioner also referred to the Tablighi Jamaat Muslim congregation in mid-March at the Nizamuddin area in Delhi that led to a spurt in Covid-19 cases across the country.

The Odisha government, represented by senior counsel Harish Salve, did not oppose the prayer in the petition but requested the court that whatever order it passes should be clear and precise leaving no room for any confusion.

As the hearing drew to a close, the CJI, on a lighter note, alluded to the origins of the English word juggernaut. “It is derived from Jagannath and it means something which cannot be stopped,” he said.

“But the court has stopped it today,” Mehta responded.