In a massive victory for the protection of religious endowments in Odisha, a prime parcel of land measuring 28.84 acres, valued at over ₹600 crore, has been officially restored to Lord Jagannath.
The Consolidation Commissioner under the Board of Revenue, Odisha, ordered the correction of land records in the Shankarpur Mouza of Puri tehsil, directing that the property be registered in the name of “Shree Jagannath Mahaprabhu Bije, Puri, Marfat Temple Management Committee.”
The high-value land, located adjacent to the Omkareshwar Temple, has a rich historical background. During the initial settlement of 1962-63, the then-Mahant donated the land to Lord Jagannath and requested the settlement authorities to record it in the deity’s name. Accordingly, in the 1977 settlement records, the land was registered under the deity through the Uttar Parshwa Math Endowment Trust Board.
However, in a shocking turn of events in 2010, the land was illegally transferred back to the Mahant’s name. Based on an order by the then Additional Sub-Collector of Puri on June 18, 2010, the deity’s name was fraudulently removed from the records in a hurried process that took just 26 days—without the knowledge of the temple administration. A land patta was subsequently issued to the Mahant in 2013. The official involved in this clandestine transfer was later suspended from government service.
Challenging this fraudulent record, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) filed a revision petition (OSS Case No. 303/2016) before the Consolidation Commissioner in Bhubaneswar, Shri Pravir Kumar Nayak. Representing the temple, advocate Ambika Prasad Mishra presented strong arguments citing historical documents, settlement records, and judicial precedents from the High Court and Supreme Court.
Delivering the landmark judgment on October 30, 2026, the Consolidation Commissioner noted severe legal flaws in the 2010 transfer, primarily the failure to issue mandatory notices to the Temple Administrator and the Endowment Commissioner. The court heavily criticized the violation of the principles of natural justice and emphasized the well-established legal doctrine that a deity is considered a “perpetual minor.” Consequently, the law mandates stringent protection of the deity’s properties and interests.
The Commissioner annulled the disputed final consolidation record and ordered the immediate restoration of the land to the Shree Jagannath Temple Management Committee.
The Chief Administrator of the SJTA welcomed the verdict, highlighting that the administration has always been proactive in providing necessary documents to the court to ensure the deity’s properties are safeguarded. This historic ruling has brought immense joy to millions of Jagannath devotees, reaffirming the state’s commitment to swiftly resolving such disputes and protecting invaluable temple properties from illegal encroachment.
