Odisha: Rath to roll today in Puri after SC removes shackles

PURI: The Supreme Court on Monday revisited its earlier order and granted permission to hold the Rath Yatra without the congregation of devotees, bringing to an end four days of protests, hectic lobbying and political slugfest and spreading joy among Odias worldwide as well as servitors of Jagannath Temple.
The bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and A S Bopanna, which had earlier stalled the Rath Yatra owing to rising Covid-19 cases, gave the nod for Tuesday’s chariot festival while hearing a raft of petitions filed by individuals and organisations seeking a review of its ban order.

While allowing the festival to go ahead, the Supreme Court also set forth 11 conditions, including curfew in Puri and sealing of entry points to prevent devotees from reaching the spot. It also made it clear that not more than 500 people (police personnel), who must test negative for Covid-19, should be allowed to pull each of the three chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra.
But while the Rath Yatra has been allowed in Puri, elsewhere in the state the festival stands cancelled.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik expressed his gratitude to the Supreme Court for allowing Rath Yatra to be held in Puri. “I also thank the Centre for their support in the Supreme Court. State government and Jagannath temple administration have completed all arrangements for smooth conduct of the festival,” Naveen said in a video message.
The chief minister, however, admitted it would be a big challenge for the administration to host Rath Yatra amid Covid-19 pandemic. “The whole world is watching us. Amid the challenge, I am hopeful that we can do it. I am hopeful that the Rath Yatra rituals can be performed amid precautions. Social distancing and other guidelines should be followed during the festival,” Naveen said.
The chief minister asked chief secretary Asit Tripathy and director general of police (DGP) Abhay to go to Puri and oversee preparations for the Rath Yatra. Naveen also asked law minister Pratap Jena, school and mass education minister Samir Dash and deputy chairman of state planning board, Sanjay Das Burma, to camp in Puri and supervise the Rath Yatra proceedings till Niladri Bije on July 4.
Puri king Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb said he is indebted to the Supreme Court, Centre and state government for making Rath Yatra happen. Home minister Amit Shah also spoke to the Puri king and Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati and took stock of the situation.
The fresh order from the Supreme Court followed week-long speculations and moments of intense anxiety among devotees about the fate of the Rath Yatra amid the pandemic. The apex court’s order on Thursday had sparked state-wide outcry and political slugfest with many targeting the state government for having failed to convince the Supreme Court to hold Rath Yatra without the congregation of devotees. Under pressure, the state government changed its stand and assured to support the petitioners demanding that Rath Yatra be held with restrictions.
This is the first time the world famous Rath Yatra will be observed without the participation of devotees in Puri. The administration imposed curfew from 9 pm on Monday till 2 pm on Wednesday. “We will deploy around 50 platoons of police force to prevent congregation and help in the smooth conduct of the festival,” DGP Abhay said.
Temple administration said the rituals will start from 3 am. At least 19 rituals are scheduled to be performed inside the temple and outside on the chariots on Tuesday. Pulling of the chariots is scheduled to start at 12 pm.
Temple administration said the chariots would be pulled by police personnel. It must be mentioned that the Orissa high court had recently asked the administration to consider deployment of heavy machineries or elephants to pull the chariots instead of manpower to avoid congregation.