Expressing deep concern over the vast stretch of land slipping away from the effective control of the Lord Jagannath temple in Puri, the Orissa High Court has directed the Law Department and the Temple Administration to ensure proper coordination for safeguarding the temple property.

“The Law Department and the Temple Administration shall ensure proper coordination and timely communication in all matters concerning alienation, lease, or mutation of temple lands. No sanction or approval shall be considered valid unless it strictly complies with the statutory requirements, including prior recommendation by competent land committees and valuation by the District Sub-Registrar, as mandated by law,” the single bench High Court Justice Dr SK Panigrahi ruled in an order on Friday.

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Disposing of writ petitions related to the protection of temple land, Justice Panigrahi observed, “Large swathes of land endowed in the name of Lord Jagannath, particularly in urban and peri-urban areas, have already slipped away from the effective control of the temple administration due to the execution of such erroneous alienation of immovable property.”

Such alienation of the temple properties has rendered the estate economically unviable, as the returns are grossly disproportionate to the market value of the land and insufficient even to meet the administrative costs associated with their management.

In practice, such arrangements result in a de facto alienation of temple property, stripping the deity of meaningful ownership while vesting long-term enjoyment in private hands.

Upon the expiry of these lease terms, any effort by the authorities to resume the lands for the benefit of the temple is likely to face severe public resistance, especially where the land has changed hands multiple times or been developed. The political ramifications of reclaiming such property are so fraught that successive governments may be deterred from undertaking any corrective action, thereby entrenching the loss, the HC order noted.

The concerned revenue and land records authorities are instructed to take immediate steps to correct entries related to properties in the name of Lord Jagannath, ensuring their records reflect the true legal position, consistent with the statutory provisions under the SJTA and applicable law.

The state government is directed to review the existing provisions and procedural mechanisms under the SJTA, especially Section 16(2), to address the glaring lacunae that have allowed unauthorised alienation and mutation of temple properties.

Any negligence, corruption, or administrative lethargy resulting in illegal transfer or mutation of temple lands must be identified and acted upon with due diligence. The state government shall take appropriate steps to streamline and improve the efficiency of the processes related to temple land administration to prevent future disputes and ensure that the rights of the Temple remain inviolable. This shall include digitisation of records, clear guidelines on mutation and transfer, and robust monitoring mechanisms, the order concluded.