New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to allow rath yatra in cities other than JagannathPuri in Odisha, observing that people should rather worship at home in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. You want to pray to God. You can do it at home. I also wanted to go to Puri, but I have not been able to go in the last one-and-half years because of the pandemic. This is not the time. I pray at home,” remarked chief justice of India NV Ramana, while dismissing a clutch of applications to permit rath yatra at Baripada, Sasang, Nilagiri and Kendrapara in the state.

The bench, headed by the CJI and also including justices AS Bopanna and Hrishikesh Roy, was categorical that the state government took a “considered decision” by not allowing rath yatra at any place other than Puri in order to ward off the spread of infection.

“We will watch it (rath yatra) on television only. We also feel bad, but we cannot do anything in this situation. We can only hope and trust God will allow us these rituals next year,” said justice Ramana. The rath yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri is an annual ritual scheduled for July 12. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing the Union government, earlier suggested to the bench that symbolic yatras with a limited number of participants could be permitted by the top court because some of the applicants were performing the rituals for centuries.“Yatra was allowed last year by this court for Lord Jagannath at Puri after putting certain conditions. Appropriate conditions can be imposed for this year too to ensure there are no public gatherings. This way, religious sentiments can be protected along with the health of the people,” he said. But Odisha’s advocate general Ashok Parija resisted this suggestion, pointing out that the state administration will not be in a position to manage rath yatra across the state while imposing all restrictions and safeguards.