New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday put a bar on the entry of armed police personnel inside Jagannath temple. The apex court also ordered the police personnel not to wear shoes on the temple premises.
A two-judge bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta, hearing an interlocutory application filed by Debasish Misra, issued an order to the state government, the temple administration and the original petitioner Mrinalini Padhi to file their response in two weeks.
Debasish Misra filed the application alleging that police personnel entered the temple with weapons and with shoes on.
Misra argued that the apex court order on Srimandir reforms had created a volatile situation in Puri. He also said that the original petition was baseless and pleaded that the court should stay or set aside its order of July 5 and the original petition.
However, the counsel for the state and the temple administration denied the claims of the petitioner.
The counsel for the temple administration, Swetaketu Misra, in his argument denied the allegations of the petitioner. Misra apprised the court about the losses the temple incurred due to the violence. He said that the protesters entered the premises and ransacked the properties of the temple. The protesters broke the barricades, computers and other properties in the temple office.
However, the top court refrained from dismissing the petition and its earlier order and adjourned the matter till October 31.
The apex court had July 5 issued directions to implement recommendations of the Puri district judge on Srimandir reforms. Among the recommendations, the court had directed to implement the queue system for devotees in the temple which was opposed by the protesters in Puri.
