High Court asks govt to submit ATR on Mohanty panel suggestions

The Orissa High Court today asked the state government to submit the action taken report on the recommendations of the Justice P K Mohanty Commission after probing the November 2006 stampede in the Sri Jagannath Temple at Puri.

A Division Bench of Justices A K Rath and B R Sarangi asked the state government to submit the ATR within two weeks.

The order of the High Court came while adjudicating on a PIL filed by social activist Chittaranjan Mohanty pertaining to the safety and security of devotees visiting the Puri temple.

Responding to an earlier notice of the High Court concerning Mohanty's PIL, the state government informed the government has already accepted the Justice Mohanty Commission recommendations which were submitted along with the report in 2009.

Asked to probe the cause of the stampede that claimed four lives, the Commission had in its report made several recommendations to the government to curb such mishaps.

Mohanty had in his petition alleged that due to improper security management by the state government, the historical marvel of the country was now under the scanner of terrorists.

Annexing a newspaper report, the petitioner had referred to recent video clippings in social media showing aerial views of the temple.

While asking the state government to submit the ATR, the High Court also asked the petitioner to file an affidavit in the court within two weeks, substantiating the questions he had raised in the petition.