Petition in SC seeking Rath Yatra festivities at Kendrapara temple too

Madan Patri, one of the servitors of the Siddha Baladevjew temple, filed the Special Leave Petition in the apex court after the Odisha high court refused to intervene in the matter of the state government allowing the Rath Yatra without devotees, and only in Puri

Updated on: Jun 29, 2021, 12:42:17 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A petition has been filed in Supreme Court seeking directions to the Odisha government to allow rath yatra of Siddha Baladevjew in Kendrapara district even as the famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri is slated for July 12 with Covid guidelines in place.

Madan Patri, one of the servitors of the Siddha Baladevjew temple, filed the Special Leave Petition in the apex court after the Odisha high court refused to intervene in the matter of the state government allowing the Rath Yatra without devotees, and only in Puri.

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In his plea, Patri has said that Rath Yatra of Siddha Baladevjew can be allowed with the participation of only servitors following all Covid guidelines, testing and vaccination along the line of the annual festival at Puri Shree Jagannath Temple.

The 250-year-old Baladevjew temple was built by the king of Kujang, Raja Gopal Sandha, during the Maratha rule in Odisha in 1761. While Lord Jagannath is the principal deity in Puri, His elder brother, Lord Balabhadra is the main deity in Kendrapara temple.

Last year, the Supreme Court had permitted the Rath Yatra in Puri; with all entry points into the town closed, and no public attendance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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