Cuttack, May 29: The Jagannath temple managing committee has been accused of violating the fundamental rights of the old and physically challenged devotees by stopping paramanik darshan.

The temple administration had issued a notification on March 20, prohibiting devotees from having darshan in the sanctum sanctorum.

Chinmaya Mohanty, a member of the Odisha State Bar Council, and seven others have filed a petition before the chief administrator of the temple for restoration of paramanik darshan as it is “a traditional system specifically meant to help the old and physically disabled devotees”.

President of the Odisha High Court Bar Association and senior advocate Jayant Das submitted the petition here yesterday at the office of revenue divisional commissioner (central division) Arabinda Padhee, who is also the chief administrator of the Jagannath temple.

The petition stated: “The satwalipi (record of rights) of Jagannath temple clearly prescribes that paramanik darshan in the sanctum sanctorum is permissible thrice a day during arati, abakash and chandanlagi rituals. The administration cannot interfere with such recorded right by issuing the notification.”

The petitioners expressed disappointment as the administration “has stopped a disciplined darshan, particularly meant for the physically challenged, but allowed an exodus at three particular periods of the day (sahan mela)”.

“This is a clear case of gross discrimination with a class (devotees), who have the equal right of darshan. But for their physical deficiency their special right to darshan had been recognised since time immemorial,” the petition alleged.

The petitioner said the plea was being filed in compliance of the Orissa High Court Public Interest Litigation Rules, 2010.

Earlier, chief convenor of the Sri Jagannath Sena Priyadarshan Patnaik had filed a PIL, seeking quashing of the notification issued by the Puri Jagannath Temple Administration.

The notification enhanced entry fees from March 21 for devotees to gain access to the gate of the sanctum sanctorum to have bhitarkata darshan of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra.

The division bench of Chief Justice V. Gopala Gowda and Justice B.N. Mohapatra disposed of the petition without hearing on April 6 on the ground that it did not satisfy Rule 8 of the Orissa High Court Public Interest Litigation Rules, 2010.

The high court advised the petitioner to ventilate the grievance before the law secretary.

The rules were enforced in Odisha from April 2, 2010.

Rule 8 states: “Before filing a PIL, the petitioner must send a representation to the authorities concerned for taking remedial action, akin to what is postulated in Section 80 CPC. The petition should be filed with details of such representation and reply, if any, from the concerned authority along with copies. However, in urgent cases where making of representation and waiting for response would cause irreparable injury or damage, petition can be filed straightway by giving prior notice of filing to the authorities concerned and/or their counsel, if any.”