Recognising the importance of the rituals of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha, the Orissa High Court on Tuesday allowed the Satasahi Puja Committee of Puri to go ahead with the Durga puja even as the idol size of the deity is taller than the stipulated size fixed by the State government. The State government in September this year had restricted among others, the idol sizes of the deities to only four feet as part of its COVID-19 guidelines.
“As a one-time measure, if the idol of the committee has already been constructed beyond four feet and having connection with the rituals of Shree Jagannath Temple, which has got special status in Odisha, this Court does not want to disturb the same and allows the petitioner (Satasahi Puja Committee) to go ahead with puja,” said an order delivered on Tuesday by a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq.
The High Court also directed the Puri district administration to make separate arrangements for immersion.
