Complete Ratna Bhandar inventory in 3 months, place key missing report in House: Orissa HC to govt

The Orissa High Court has instructed the state government to complete the long-pending inventory work of valuables in the Ratna Bhandar (treasury) of the Jagannath Temple in Puri within three months. The court also directed that the judicial inquiry report on the missing keys of the sacred treasury be placed before the state Assembly in the next session. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice M S Raman issued the directions recently, while hearing a PIL concerning the inventorisation, repair and maintenance of the Ratna Bhandar, which stores ornaments, precious stones and other valuable belongings to Lord Jagannath. The authorities of the Jagannath Temple in Puri on January 17 decided that after nearly five decades, the inventory work of jewellery and valuables stored in the refurbished Ratna Bhandar will begin ''on an auspicious day'' following the state government's nod. The Ratna Bhandar, which has an inner and an outer chamber. While the outer chamber is opened for daily use of deities, the inner chamber was unlocked on July 14, 2024 after 46 years for the inventory work and repair of its structure. The Bench in its order said, ''We, therefore, direct that the report of the Inquiry Committee (on key missing) should be placed on the floor of the Assembly House in the ensuing session and we expect that a decision would be taken thereupon.'' The key to the inner chamber was reported missing in April 2018, triggering protests. A duplicate key was later located in a sealed envelope in a district record room. A panel was formed to probe into the matter. ''We further direct the State Government to complete the exercise of tallying the inventory report submitted by the newly constituted Committee with the inventory report of the Committee submitted in the year 1978 within three months from date,'' the order read. The high court noted that several orders had been passed earlier regarding the missing or non-availability of the keys to the inner chamber of Ratna Bhandar. It referred to the affidavit filed by the state government in April 2024, which said that a judicial commission headed by Justice Raghubir Dash had been constituted to inquire into the missing keys and that its report had been submitted to the government. The Bench also reviewed the steps taken for renovation and conservation of the Ratna Bhandar. It noted that a High-Level Committee was constituted after the change in political regime, and a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was framed for opening the inner and outer chambers in July 2024. The valuables were shifted to temporary strong rooms to facilitate repair work by the Archaeological Survey of India and were later restored to the original chambers in September 2025. Regarding inventorisation, the Bench observed that the Temple Managing Committee, the highest decision-making body of the shrine, had resolved in November 2025 to prepare a fresh SOP, with the 1978 inventory serving as the benchmark. Advocate General Pintambar Acharya informed the HC that the inquiry report would be placed before the Cabinet and the Assembly and that verification of valuables against the 1978 inventory required time. Taking note of these submissions, the court directed the State to place the inquiry report on the floor of the Assembly in the next session and complete the inventory verification exercise within three months. The High Court cautioned that no complacency would be tolerated and stressed that the government was duty-bound to act promptly.