Post News Network
Puri: Following a historic ruling by the Supreme Court (SC) December 16 that said Amrutamanohi land belongs to Sri Jagannath temple and not the mutts, several plaintiffs of the mutts are now mulling to file a review petition in the apex court.
The mutt authorities have started interpreting the legal details of the case as well as the verdict with the help of their lawyers. The mutt culture built around Srimandir will be a matter of history if the SC ruling is implemented because the institutions would lose most of their landed properties.
In its ruling, the SC clarified that Orissa Estates Abolition Act, 1951 would not be applicable in the case of Srimandir land as Sri Jagannath Temple Act, 1955 is specifically meant for dealing with the temple’s properties. So the ownership of Amrutamanohi land would rest on the Srimandir itself, the ruling said.
Narasingha Ramanuja Das, a plaintiff from Siddha Mutt, said, “We will convene a meeting of all mutt plaintiffs after interpreting the court order. It will be premature to say anything at this point of time.” “We are really worried over the SC ruling, but a decision will be taken after discussions with the mutt authorities,” said Satya Narayan Das, a plaintiff from Bauli Mutt. Similarly, Uttara Parswa mutt’s plaintiff Narayan Ramanuja Das said, “Srimandir has been attacked 18 times, during which the mutt plaintiffs have stood up to protect the temple. There is specific mention about it in Utkala Ghanta and other scriptures.”
Nikhila Utkala Mutt Mandiradhis Seba Sangha (NUMMSS) president Swami Arupananda said, “I respect the SC ruling, but all the mutts will be affected by this verdict. The state government should consider the issue and protect the mutts.”
Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief Suresh Chandra Mohapatra said, “The ruling by the Supreme Court has ended the long-standing controversy over ownership of Amrutamanohi land. However, the ruling would be interpreted before the government takes any steps”.