Staying on temple land for a long time does not make the person its owner : Odisha High Court

Confirmation that the temple administration’s order to remove encroachments is valid

Cuttack, Odisha – The Odisha High Court has categorically refused to rule in favour of the encroachers of Shri Jagannath’s sacred Amritmanohi Bhoomi. The court has clearly said that merely holding the temple land for a long time does not make a person the owner of that land. This decision was given by a division bench of Justice Sanjeev Kumar Panigrahi. The division bench dismissed the petition of a labourer family living in the Cuttack Sadar area. The family had been living on this land for the last 50 years and was now seeking ownership.

1. This land is registered in the name of Shri Jagannath as Amritmanohi and is under the Shri Jagannath Temple Administration, Puri. When the eviction notice came, the people sought permission from the temple administration to purchase the land. These people claimed that they have been living there for many years.

2. The court said that the Amrutmanohi land of the temple is not a normal Government land and cannot be sold as per normal rules. This land is of religious and public importance. It is just that they have been living there for a long time; therefore, ownership rights cannot be given to the concerned persons.

3. The court upheld the temple administration’s decision and said the order to remove the encroachment was valid.