Orissa High Court issues notice to SJTA on Patabola Seva row

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has issued notice to the chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in response to a petition challenging its decision to allowing two persons, who are not descendants of original Record of Rights (RoR) holders to perform the sacred Patabola Seva at the 12th century shrine in Puri.
Justice RK Pattanaik issued the notice on Wednesday on the petition filed by Santosh Kumar Patra and seven others seeking the court's intervention against the order issued by the chief administrator on June 12, 2025. The petitioners claimed they are Patara Bishoyi Sevaks and descendants of the original RoR holders, who were specifically assigned to look after the Patabola Seva in the temple.
According to the petition, Patabola Seva is a ritual service traditionally reserved for hereditary sevaks. It is a sacred secret service whose knowledge is transferred from generation to generation, and the outsiders have no scope to acquire such knowledge. Sevak means any person who is recorded as such in RoRs.
During the hearing, advocate Avijit Patnaik, representing the petitioners, argued that allowing the two persons to take part in the Patabola Seva is contrary to section I21 (2) (1) of the Shree Jagannath Temple Act, 1955. The temple administration has encroached upon the religious practice and rights of sevaks, Patnaik contended.
In the order on Wednesday, Justice Pattanaik said, 'Considering the facts pleaded on record and plea advanced by the petitioners, the court is inclined to have the response of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration in particular.' The judge issued notice to chief administrator and directed to list the matter on June 25.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

New Indian Express

5 hours ago

• New Indian Express

Orissa HC seeks response from collector, SP on Medha Patkar's Rayagada entry ban

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has sought response from the collector and SP of Rayagada on ban imposed on activist Medha Patkar and 24 others from entering or staying in the district for a period of two months. The ban order was issued on June 4 ahead of a public meeting on the next day at Hatpada field in Sunger of Kashipur block, which Patkar and other activists were scheduled to attend. The meeting was organised to protest against the proposed bauxite mining activities at Sijimali hills. 'There is a reasonable apprehension that their movement and presence in Rayagada district may lead to deterioration of law and order, disturb public peace and hinder the smooth conduct of administration affairs and development process in the district,' said the order issued by collector Parul Patawari on the basis of the report of the SP. Dr Randall Sequeira, a Bhawanipatna-based medical practitioner who was among those barred, filed a petition challenging the ban order, on June 17. He claimed that he has been rendering free medical service to numerous tribal communities residing in Kalahandi and Rayagada districts. Restraining his entry into Rayagada will adversely affect the essential healthcare services being provided by him to the underprivileged population there, he contended. When the petition was taken up for hearing on Friday, petitioner counsel Afraaz Suhail argued that the anticipated protest was a one-day event, but extending the restriction for a two-month period lacked justification. Taking note of it, Justice SK Panigrahi sought response from the collector and SP of Rayagada on the matter. Justice Panigrahi directed additional government advocate Debashish Nayak to take necessary instruction and schedule next hearing on the matter for June 24.

New Indian Express

a day ago

• New Indian Express

Orissa HC lifts lifetime ban on SC candidate from government jobs, terms it ‘too harsh'

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has quashed a state government order that had debarred a Scheduled Caste candidate, Dibakar Patra, from all future government employment for not following the prescribed procedure while submitting application for the post of Civil Judge. The court, however, upheld the cancellation of his candidature for the post. Pursuant to a notification issued by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) in 2017, Patra, a non-judicial court employee, had applied for the post of Civil Judge. But he applied neither through his employer, as required under the notification, nor had he obtained a no objection certificate (NOC). On detection of the lapses, the government in an order issued on June 30, 2017, cancelled his candidature and permanently debarred him from future government service. In the judgment, the division bench of Justices Dixit Krishna Shripad and MS Sahoo observed, 'The impugned order debarring the petitioner from government service permanently is too harsh to be sustained as it violates the doctrine of proportionality. No special reasons are assigned to justify a permanent embargo as if a heinous sin is committed by the candidate.' The court quashed the order only on the aspect of permanently debarring the petitioner from staking claim for government appointment.

Hans India

a day ago

• Hans India

Swift action sought on SC/ST cases

Bhongir: The SC/ST Commission Chairman, Bakki Venkataiah, has directed officials to resolve all pending cases related to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes across various departments. On Saturday, he conducted a review meeting at the Collectorate Conference Hall in Yadadri-Bhongir district, along with Collector Hanumantha Rao, DCP Akshansh Yadav, and Commission members. The Chairman proposed holding a Civil Rights Day on the last Saturday of every month, involving tahsildars and police officers to address village-level grievances. He instructed the formation of a quarterly DVMC (District Vigilance & Monitoring Committee) to ensure inter-departmental coordination in resolving SC/ST-related concerns. The Commission chief stressed strict adherence to the Rule of Reservation (RoR) in promotions and warned of disciplinary action for violations. Earlier, the Chairman visited the under-construction Ambedkar Bhavan in Singannagudem and urged speedy completion. He paid floral tributes to Dr BR Ambedkar and Babu Jagjivan Ram statues in Bhongir town. Public petitions were accepted directly by the Chairman.