ASI, Jagannath Temple managing committee to collaborate on Ratna Bhandar conservation work: HC

Cuttack, Sept 29 (PTI) The ASI and the managing committee of the Jagannath Temple in Puri will collaborate for the conservation work of the Ratna Bhandar or the treasury inside the 12th-century shrine, the Orissa High Court said on Friday.

On the plea for making an inventory of the valuables in the Ratna Bhandar, the court said that it expects the state government to come forward for efficient management when its cooperation is sought by the managing committee.

Disposing of the petition filed by BJP leader Samir Mohanty, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Subhasis Talapatra refused to interfere and referred to the Supreme Court's 2019 observation on a similar plea, in which it was stated that the Shri Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC) is the sole repository of faith.