Bhubaneswar: Dibya Singh Deb, scion of the erstwhile royal family of Puri, on Friday said the issue of entry of non-Hindus to Jagannath temple, as suggested by the Supreme Court, would be discussed at the temple management committee meeting.

The apex court on Thursday asked the temple administration to consider the suggestion to permit people of other faiths to visit the shrine and offer worship. At present, the entry of only those, who are born Hindu, is allowed inside the temple. Deb, who heads the committee, said the Supreme Court's suggestion "will be placed before the management committee, which will take a call after a threadbare discussion".

The temple management is under the administrative control of the Odisha law department. Sources said the Odisha government would weigh the pros and cons of the court suggestion before deciding to implement it. "This being the election year, the Naveen Patnaik government would tread very cautiously," confided a BJD leader.

Manoj Rath, the PRO to Puri Shankaracharya Nischalananda Sarawati, said: "In all such matters, religious gurus need to be consulted."

Odisha Congress president Niranjan Patnaik supported the court suggestion. "I personally believe that all men are equal. Time has come for those, who are at the helm of affairs of the temple, to believe this."

BJP spokesperson Lekhashree Samantray said: "The matter needs wider consultations." BJD leader Samir Ranjan Dash said: "It's up to the temple management committee to examine the matter and take a decision."