‘Missing’ Srimandir files found, claims Odisha Law Department

Clearing the air surrounding the strange disappearance of two files of the Puri Jagannath Temple Administration (JTA), the Law Department of Odisha issued a clarification stating that both the files have been traced.

In a press statement, Dhaneswar Mallick, the Principal Secretary to Law Department said that, “The files were not traceable and directions were issued to find them. In media it was also reported that the files were lost. It is clarified that the files have been found.”

Official sources said that both the files were mixed with other routine files for which it was difficult to trace them. Earlier, the matter regarding ‘missing’ files came to the fore after the Deputy Secretary of the Department wrote to all the sections under it to locate those two files on a priority basis.

The files will be reportedly used for compliance with an order of the Orissa High Court. The department letter read, “Two files of JTA Section bearing No. JTA-55/2006(pt) and JTA-06/2014 are untraceable in the records of JTA Section. Therefore, it is hereby requested to all sections of this Department to conduct search operation in their records on a priority basis and submit the said files, if available, to JTA Section immediately for compliance with the order of the High Court.”

It is pertinent to mention here that the Opposition parties had targeted the Odisha government over the ‘missing’ files.

On April 21, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had lodged a complaint at the Capital Police station in Bhubaneswar in this regard.