As Odisha fights the second wave of the Covid, the SC on Tuesday dismissed all petitions seeking to hold Rath Yatra. There were many petitions seeking permission to celebrate Rath Yatra other than Puri.
“I’m sorry though, but there’s nothing we can do about it. I pray that God will allow the next Rath Yatra” Justice NV Ramana, India’s 48th Chief Justice stated. He dismissing various petitions seeking the Supreme Court’s intervention in the case.
The state’s Covid-19 situation cannot be predicted, according to the court.
Moreover, the government has the authority to make decisions further. The Odisha government has already forbidden the celebration of Lord Jagannath’s Chariot festival in all other parts of the state. The festival in Puri will be held under strict Covid protocols, as it was last year.
The state authorities, on the other hand, have allowed the rituals to take place within the temples. They have to follow pandemic guidelines. Petitioners requesting public celebrations of the festival in Nilagiri, Kendrapara, and Bhatli were also denied by the Orissa High Court.
According to Advocate General Ashok Parija, representing the Odisha government, “500 people with RT PCR tests pull the chariots. How will the government ensure that all of these conditions are fulfilled? Puri is a ‘one-of-a-kind’. Conditions established for the Puri Rath Yatra cannot be applied throughout the state.
Tushar Mehta, the Solicitor General, intervened in the case and told the bench that Rath Yatra was completely banned last year. Yatra is now only permitted in Puri by the Odisha government. However, there are several regions where the Yatra has been practiced for generations.
He prayed to the bench that it would consider allowing a ‘token Yatra,’ in which only a few people are permitted to perform rituals. He claimed that in this way, both religious sentiments and people’s health will be protected.
