Supreme Court rejects pleas challenging construction at Puri temple

The Supreme Court rejected the petitions challenging the excavation and construction being carried out by the Odisha government in and around the Puri Lord Jagannath temple. The court described the petitions as frivolous and in discord with the public interest.

"In the recent past, it is noticed that there's a mushrooming growth of PILs. Many such petitions are either publicity interest litigation or personal interest litigation. We deprecate the practice of filing such FIL as it is a waste of judicial time and it needs to be nipped in bud so that development work is not stalled,” the apex court observed.

The court further stated that the construction activities were carried out to augment the facilities for devotees.

"We have considered the argument that only individuals can be allowed to construct toilets and state cannot. Can the state be denied when it finds it necessary in the larger public interest to provide facilities to devotees? The answer is an emphatic no", the bench stated.

The Puri Heritage Corridor Project was introduced in December 2019 and aimed to transform the town into an international place of heritage.