Cuttack: Orissa high court directed the superintendent of police (Cuttack Rural) to provide security to Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for restoration of boundary wall of Ananteswara Mahadev Temple, which miscreants pulled down in May last year. The high court also ordered a police probe into the dislodging of the boundary wall of the centrally protected monument and action against the miscreants as per law.
The more than 1,000-year-old temple on the banks of the Chitrotpala river at Lendura Bhagabanpur in Cuttack district’s Nischintkoili block was declared “an ancient monument of national importance” by the ministry of culture on April 2, 2014. The temple has since been a centrally protected monument under ASI’s jurisdiction.
The directions were issued while disposing of a petition seeking judicial intervention for the protection of the temple on Feb 19. Muralidhar Panda and four other residents of the locality filed the petition.
Appearing on behalf of the petitioners, advocate Subhransu Bhusan Mohanty pointed out to the court that no action was taken for protection of the monument even as the ASI lodged a complaint with the inspector-in-charge of Nemala police station on May 15, 2024, identifying the miscreants involved in the vandalism of the temple’s boundary wall.
In Section 30 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958, there is a provision for imposing a penalty, Mohanty pointed out while seeking an appropriate direction to the state to bring the miscreants to book.
Taking note of it, the two-judge bench of Acting Chief Justice Arindam Sinha and Justice M S Sahoo said: “Needless to mention, FIR stands registered and the wrongdoing is to be investigated and brought to a logical conclusion.”
“ASI will inform the Superintendent of Police (Cuttack Rural) with a copy to IIC Nemala police station their work schedule for repairing the wall and proceed to do so,” the bench added.
Additional government advocate (AGA) Suman Pattanayak submitted an affidavit by the state govt which clearly stated that patrolling to provide security to the monument is being done. Central government counsel D Gochayat, representing ASI, sought direction to provide security for repairing the wall.
In the complaint, ASI named two persons from Lendura Bhagabanpur village who broke down nearly 15 metres of the boundary wall, which was under construction on May 13, 2024. The boundary wall is being constructed as per record, the complaint said, seeking an enquiry into the matter.
According to the complaint, earlier on June 23, 2022, a joint demarcation was done in the presence of additional tehsildar, revenue inspector, amin, etc., before construction of the boundary wall. It was again demarcated in the presence of sarpanch, senior conservation assistant, conservation assistant, along with the local village temple committee on March 15, 2024.