Cuttack: The Kendrapara district administration finally got a sigh of relief when the Orissa High Court in a significant ruling on Friday declared that the 300-year-old Jagannath temple at Keradagada village was out of bounds for all except for the temple priests and sevayats.

A bench of the HC comprising Justice I M Quddusi and Justice N Prusty observed that nobody was allowed inside the temple except the priests and sevayats until the disposal of a petition it (the HC) had received from the district administration. The court however, indicated that it was open to hear any affected party.

A large number of dalits were planning to forcibly enter the temple on November 26 after holding a convention, which was threatening to take the shape of a major caste conflict in the area as the upper caste people of the locality are opposing it.

The HC order came in the wake of a petition filed by Kendrapara Sub-Collector Raghunath Padhy urging the Court to order for a status quo in view of an apparent law and order situation at the temple on that day.

`Volatile situation'

Mr. Padhy had petitioned the HC on Thursday stating that the situation at Keradagada was turning "volatile" in view of certain sections of people resisting the entry of Dalits inside the temple. Tension was mounting in the area as over 20,000 dalits under the banner of Ambedkar-Lohia Vichar Manch are planning to forcibly enter the temple on November 26, the Sub-Collector said in his petition.

The HC after admitting the prayer of the district administration has fixed the hearing of the case on November 29 next. It may be recalled here that Keradagada has been tense for the past one year when some Dalit women were restricted entry into the temple during the Kartik Purnima last year.

A petition in this regard, filed by a local advocate seeking protection to dalits during the time of entering into the temple, is pending in Orissa High Court.

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