Govt forms panel to oversee reopening of Ratna Bhandar of Jagannath temple

The Odisha government has formed a fresh high-level committee to supervise the reopening of Ratna Bhandar of Puri's Jagannath temple for repair and inventory of valuables stored inside the treasury.

Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan, in a press conference on Thursday night, said that the panel has been formed in accordance with the direction of the Orissa High Court in this regard.

In March this year, the previous BJD government had formed a 12-member committee led by retired judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Arijit Pasayat, to supervise the inventory of jewellery and other valuables stored in the Ratna Bhandar.

The BJP government has dissolved the Justice Pasayat-led panel and formed the fresh committee.

"A high-level committee is hereby reconstituted, under the chairmanship of Justice Biswanath Rath, to supervise the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee in carrying out the inventorisation of valuables including jewelleries stored in the Ratna Bhandar," a notification issued by the Law Department said.

The 16-member new committee headed by former judge of Orissa High Court, Justice Biswanath Rath, will conduct its meeting in Puri on July 6 to decide the date for the opening of the Ratna Bhandar and prepare modalities for the repair of the inner chamber and inventory of valuables stored inside it, Harichandan said.

The minister said the panel will also decide which external agencies will be involved to examine the quality of the valuables stored in the treasury of the 12th-century shrine.

As per recommendation of the committee, the state government will decide its future course of action for reopening of the Ratna Bhandar, he said.

The chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has been appointed a member convenor of the committee while Puri Collector, sand artiste Sudarsan Pattanaik, representative of Gajapati Maharaj, representatives of ASI, and former Odisha DGP Prakash Mishra are other members of the panel.

While disposing of a PIL on September 29, 2023 filed by BJP leader Samir Mohanty on the safety of Ratna Bhandar, the high court had directed the government to form the high-level committee. On February 16 this year, the government had assured the high court that the committee would be constituted within four weeks.