Puri: In a major relief to the pontiff of Emar mutt here, the law department has refused to approve the recommendation of the state endowment commissioner to cancel the former’s lifetime trusteeship at the mutt.
The endowment commissioner had recommended the law department to cancel the lifetime trusteeship of pontiff Ramanuja Das in connection with the recovery of 522 silver ingots from the mutt in 2011. However, the law department has not accepted the recommendation and sent the file back to the commissioner, said a source familiar with the development.
Emar mutt hogged the limelight in 2011 when two labourers were caught selling silver ingots in Dhenkanal. Police investigation found that the silver ingots were taken from the mutt. Soon, Singhadwar police here raided the mutt and seized 522 silver ingots from a closed room.
Subsequently, the endowment commissioner had registered a case in connection with the metal recovery and served a show-cause notice on the pontiff. The commissioner contended that the pontiff had not mentioned anything regarding the silver ingots while submitting the property list of the institution in accordance with the Hindu endowment law. The commissioner had termed the pontiff’s reply as unsatisfactory and recommended his removal.
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