The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on a petition challenging “the unauthorised and illegal constructions” conducted by the Odisha authorities adjacent to the famous 12th century Puri Jagannath temple as part of the ₹800-crore Shree Mandira Parikrama project.
The project is presented as a redevelopment exercise. It is reportedly the biggest the temple has seen in centuries and involves a 75-metre corridor around the Meghanada Prachira, the outer wall of the Shree Jagannath temple.
However, a Vacation Bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and Hima Kohli heard Ardhendu Kumar Das, represented by senior advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani and advocate Tomy Chacko, who contended that the “illegal construction” undertaken by the State authorities in the “prohibited area” has resulted in “desecration and downright destruction of the archaeological remains of the heritage site in contravention to the constitutional mandate of Article 49 (protection of monuments and places and objects of national importance) and the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act.
