New Delhi: The Supreme Court has banned the proposed annual Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra on June 23 because of the corona virus epidemic. The Supreme Court while hearing the case on Thursday said that the Rath Yatra cannot be allowed this year in view of public interest and safety of the people.
A bench of Chief Justice of India SA Bobde has banned all activities related to the Rath Yatra. Hearing this decision, the court said “Lord Jagannath will not forgive us if we allow yatra this year.” The bench said in its order, “Rath Yatra cannot be allowed this year, given the health and safety of citizens.” The bench also turned down a request from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to allow the temple management to perform certain rituals after following the rules.
The Supreme Court has given this decision after hearing a PIL filed by the Odisha Development Council NGO. Through this petition, the court was told that all the rituals like ‘Rath Yatra’, Akshaya Tritiya and Snan Purnima have been allowed to continue by the Odisha government. The petition said that there is a possibility that rath yatra of lakhs of people will also be allowed. It was also mentioned in the petition that last year more than 1 million people attended it. The petition said that if this happens this year, the consequences would be catastrophic.
