Cuttack: The State Government informed the Orissa High Court that chairperson of the committee for opening of Ratna Bhandar in Jagannath Temple in Puri will be appointed in four weeks.
The government informed the High Court about this during the hearing of the case pertaining to a plea for opening of the Ratna Bhandar of the 12th century shrine and conducting inventory. A retired judge of the Supreme Court or High Court will be appointed as the chairperson of the committee in four weeks. The next hearing of the case will be held in the HC after four weeks.
The High Court had earlier directed the state government to constitute a high-level committee to supervise the preparation of an inventory of the Ratna Bhandar ornaments, if so required by the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC).
In September 2023, the HC had directed the Odisha government to form a high-level committee to supervise the preparation of an inventory of the Ratna Bhandar within two months, according to lawyer Pitambar Acharya. As the government failed to constitute the committee within the stipulated time, the High Court was moved again through a misc petition, he said, adding that contempt petitions against the Chief Secretary, Law Secretary, and the Chief Administrator of SJTA have also been submitted.
Hearing the misc petition, Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice Savitri Ratho directed the state government to appoint the chairperson of the committee in four weeks.
