Latest news with #KoustavBagchi
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
PIL in Calcutta HC challenges govt funding, operations of Digha Jagannath shrine
Calcutta high court BHUBANESWAR: Amid growing tensions between Odisha and West Bengal over the use of ' Jagannath Dham ' name for the newly consecrated Digha temple, a PIL has been filed in the Calcutta high court challenging the project's funding and operation mechanisms. Advocate Koustav Bagchi's petition, admitted by the division bench of Justices Soumen Sen and Smita Das De, challenges the constitutional validity of govt funding for a religious structure under India's secular framework. The PIL seeks an independent inquiry into why the trust is being allowed to operate from Hidco's office. The petitioner requested the court to direct Hidco and the temple trust to file a report disclosing the true nature and character of Jagannath Dham Sanskriti Kendra/Jagannath Dham Digha and explain the legal basis for the trust's operations from Hidco premises. The petitioner has sought clarity on how the temple trust is accepting donations under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act while operating from the office of Hidco, a public sector undertaking. Questions have been raised about the use of govt funds for constructing what was initially tendered as a 'Sanskrit Kendra', but is now functioning as a temple complex. The PIL has challenged the recruitment of 100 civic volunteers for traffic and crowd management at the Digha temple and sought to quash the recruitment notice issued by the SP of East Midnapore. It questions whether the Bengal govt can legally deploy civic volunteers at what appears to be a private trust property without proper requisition or consent. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Want Lower Bills Without Changing a Thing? elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Learn More Undo While Odisha law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan has said the govt would take legal action, if required, to ensure 'Dham' is dropped from the Digha shrine name, legal experts suggested the state has strong grounds for legal recourse because of the cultural and religious significance of Lord Jagannath, with the centuries-old Puri temple being long revered as the original 'Jagannath Dham'. Lawyers said Odisha can approach the Supreme Court under Article 131 of the Constitution.
Hindustan Times
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
BJP leader moves HC against plan for 100 civic volunteers at new Jagannath temple
Kolkata: Lawyer and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Koustav Bagchi has filed a petition in the Calcutta high court challenging the West Bengal government's decision to appoint 100 civic volunteers at the new Jagannath temple in Digha in West Bengal's east Midnapore district. The petition has called the proposed appointments illegal and politically motivated. 'Filed on Tuesday, the PIL will be heard by the division bench of justices Soumen Sen and Smita Das,' Bagchi said. The development comes against the backdrop of a political row between the BJP and West Bengal's Trinamool Congress (TMC) over the temple in Digha. On Sunday, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) at the Jagannath temple in Odisha's Puri suspended Ramakrishna Dasmohapatra, a senior Daitapati (servitor), prompting the TMC to allege that the servitor was only suspended because he participated in a ceremony to open the Jagannath temple in Bengal's Digha. Opposition parties in Bengal have been critical of the state government's practice of recruiting civic volunteers, who are required to have passed the Class 8 school examination to be eligible for the job, are often refer to them as 'cadres' of the state's ruling TMC. 'Civic volunteers are not authorised or eligible to independently maintain traffic and control crowd, particularly in sensitive areas like schools, hospitals and places of religious congregation. The designated role of civic volunteers, as recognised by law and precedent, is to provide assistance to police personnel when specifically called upon and not to function in lieu of trained police officers...' the petition said. HT has reviewed a copy of the plea. The petition said the recruitment notice violated Article 14 and 19 of the Constitution of India because it only permitted people who were permanent residents of Digha and Digha Mohana Coastal Police Station Areas to apply to join as civic volunteers at the new temple. 'This form of conduct in politics and government is widely known as the spoils system, in which a political party after winning an election, gives government jobs to its supporters, friends and relatives as a reward or incentive to keep the party working...,' the petition added. Currently, more than 70,000 civic volunteers are employed, drawing a monthly salary of ₹9,000. Concerns have grown in recent years, with several civic volunteers being arrested on criminal charges. The most recent case involves Sanjay Roy, a civic volunteer attached to the city police, who was convicted in the 2024 rape and murder of a junior doctor at Kolkata's RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. In March 2023, the Calcutta high court asked the government to issue a clear set of guidelines on duties to be performed by civic volunteers. In its order passed on May 23, 2023, the police directorate underlined that civic volunteers would only 'assist' police units deployed to manage traffic, tackle illegal parking, manage crowds during festivals and ensure public safety and could not 'be entrusted with any law enforcement duties'.
