Cuttack, June 27, 2013: People of the city heaved a sigh of relief on Wednesday when they learnt that the Supreme Court of India restrained the State government from demolishing any more temples until further orders.

People here began to rejoice as a Division Bench of the Apex Court, comprising Justices Ananga Kumar Patnaik and Rajan Gogoi, granted a stay on the operation of an impugned order passed by the Odisha High Court on January 6, 2012. The Bench also ordered to maintain status quo in respect of all the 11 religious structures which have approached the Apex court challenging the January 2012 order of the State High Court and observed that all cases arising out of the order shall be adjudicated along with a similar matter pertaining to Gujarat. On a prayer from State government counsel Subashis Mishra seeking more time to get instructions from the government, the Apex Court Bench posted the matter to be heard next after four weeks, informed Prasanna Kumar Nanda, a counsel appearing in the Apex Court for some temple trusts.

Besides the Ananta Gopal Ashram of Mahanadi Vihar, Gayatree Shakti Peetha of Chahata, Ram Nigameswar Temple of Tulasipur, Baba Bhootnath Shiridi Sai Temple of Khan Nagar and Shyama Shyam Dham of Abhinav Bidanasi, the Apex Court also ordered to maintain status quo on Panchamukhi Hanuman Temple of Nuapada, Abhiram Ashrita Ashram of Nuapatna, Sani temple of Mata Matha, Maa Bhuasuni Temple of Machhua Bazar, Sai Temple of Bidyadharpur and Yadav Temple of Mahanadi Vihar.

It may be mentioned here that equipped with the High Court order to demolish all the religious structures which have come up illegally on the government land, the State government began a temple demolition drive in the city on May 1 this year. Till the intervention of the Supreme Court in the matter on May 28, the State government already demolished as many 30 religious structures of the city, much to the discontentment of the devotees.

Source: The Hindu, DT. June 27, 2013.