Woman surrenders to court, gets bail

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Puri, August 20: A court Thursday granted bail to a woman who surrendered to it two days after a case was registered against her and two other persons for climbing the chariot of Lord Jagannath during Nabakalebara Rath Yatra.
Soon after Padmini Patra, wife of a hotelier, surrendered before the Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate (SDJM), the court granted her bail on a personal bond of `20,000.
Police had registered a case against her and two priests August 18 on charges of helping the woman in climbing the Nandighosh Rath by violating a High Court order.
The case was registered with Kumbharpada police based on a written complaint filed by Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).
Three persons against whom the complaint was lodged were identified as Lord Jagannath’s Badagrahi Jagannath Swain Mohapatra, Pratihari servitor Artatrana Pratihari and Padmini Patra.
Both Swain Mohapatra and Pratihari were accused of helping Patra to climb Lord Jagannath’s Nandighosh Rath stationed near the Gundicha temple during the recent Nabakalebara Rath Yatra here despite a ban imposed by the High Court on it, additional superintendent of police (ASP) Jagannath Pradhan said.
The temple administration had in its complaint mentioned that Patra climbed the chariot with the help of two priests by violating the HC ruling in which the court had stated that no devotee should be allowed to climb the chariots and touch the deities during the car festival.
According to the complaint, Pratihari servitor had taken Patra along with him onto the chariot July 21, 2015 while Swain Mohapatra, though present at the spot, did not oppose the move.
Earlier, the temple administration had suspended Pratihari and served a show-cause notice on Lord Jagannath’s Badagrahi Jagannath Swain Mohapatra.  PTI