Odisha HC Seeks Status Report on Jagannath Estate Land Disputes

The Orissa High Court has directed the Odisha government to submit an affidavit detailing the status of disputes over Record of Rights (RoR) entries concerning the historic Ekharajat Mahal lands associated with Lord Jagannath.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Chittaranjan Dash issued the direction while hearing a PIL filed by the Purbatana Ekharajat Mahal Raiyat Surakhya Committee of Jatni.

The petition relates to 36 villages that were not covered during the government’s earlier exercise to rectify RoR records for lands linked to Lord Jagannath. The correction process has reportedly been completed in 120 villages, but the court observed that no explanation had been provided for excluding the remaining villages.
Ekharajat Mahal lands historically generated revenue for the daily rituals and other expenses of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri. The estate originally covered 156 villages in the Tapanga Pragana and Rameswar areas, mainly across present-day Khurda and Jatni.

The court also sought clarification on the status of a Special Revisional Court constituted earlier to resolve RoR-related disputes. The state government has been given two weeks to clarify whether the body is still functioning.
The PIL will be heard next on October 14.