Cuttack: A division bench of Orissa High Court Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice BP Routray Thursday disposed of all interim applications seeking a stay on construction on Bagala Dharmasala property in Puri by private parties.
The court declined to pass any stay order saying that it had already directed August 9 that “all actions taken in this regard shall be subject to further orders of the court”.
Hearing a writ petition previously filed by BJP leader Sambit Patra, a division bench said that matters relating to sale, purchase, transfer of ownership, validity of the construction work and conversion of land classification will be decided by the High Court on the next date of hearing December 16, counsel of the petitioner Pitambar Acharya informed Friday morning.
“A division bench comprising Chief Justice S Murlidhar and Justice BP Routray said that all State government decisions regarding the sale and mutation of Bagala Dharmashala land will be based as per the court’s decision,” Acharya said.
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It is pertinent to mention, two separate petitions were filed in the High Court by Patra and social activist Jagannath Bastia contending that Bagala Dharmashala cannot be sold to anybody or the ownership cannot be transferred as it belongs to Lord Jagannath’s Amruta Manohi land.
A previous decision of Puri district administration to sell the land to six private hoteliers had triggered massive protests.
Lodge owners and temple servitors who have been allotted plots in the Dharmasala land had received huge amount of compensation in lieu of their lands acquired for Srimandir heritage corridor project.
PNN
