New Delhi: A servitor from Jagannath Temple, Narasingha Pujapanda, Wednesday filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking permission to end his life as he has no survival option.
In the application written to Chief Justice of India, Pujapanda said “I’m a born Sevak of Lord Jagannath Temple. Our only source of income is from the devotees’ gifts and donations to us inside the temple by devotees and pilgrims as we beg from them and it has been continuing for more than a thousand years”.
He further said that the court and government are trying to stop our only source of income. How we will survive without income. He also said that he had applied for mercy death at the court of Sub Divisional Magistrate Puri but the court denied permission saying that this court had no authority to decide this matter.
“Now that the apex court had asked the Srimandir servitors to refrain from accepting donations from devotees, it’s almost impossible to survive. I had approached the Odisha government seeking euthanasia but it refused. It’s better to die at once than waiting for a hunger death,” said Narasingha Pujapanda.
Notably, the apex court order on Puri temple reforms dated July 5 had prohibited the money collection for Annadan Atika by Sevaks and also banned placing ‘thali’ and pitchers by Sevaks to receive offering.
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