The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the annual Rath Yatra and associated activities at the Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri in the wake of the coronavirus pademic.
A three-judge bench of the apex court headed by CJI Sharad Arvind Bobde said that such gatherings cannot take place at the time of the pandemic.
"We consider it appropriate that in the interest of public health and safety of citizens to restrain the Respondents from holding the Rath Yatra this year. We direct that no Rath Yatra will be held in the temple area of Odisha", the Court ordered.
“Lord Jagannath won’t forgive us if we allow this year’s Rath Yatra to go on”, CJI Bobde said, adding that as such a huge gathering can’t take place during the pandemic.
The court also said that Rath Yatra would not be held anywhere in Odisha by 2020 to avoid a major collision that would spread the epidemic.
The Court also ordered that no secular or religious activity related to the rath yatra will take place this year in Odisha.
The Rath yatra was scheduled to be held on June 23.
Meanwhile, in Odisha, the construction of Raths for the Yatra are underway in full swing after the temple administration decided to take out the Yatra under Section 144 imposition, without the presence of devotees.
