Odisha govt appoints 10 new members, including ex-CAG Girish Murmu, to Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee
OdishaPlus Bureau
On Tuesday, the government of Odisha appointed 10 individuals, including Girish Chandra Murmu, the former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, to the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC). These appointments were made in accordance with the Shree Jagannath Temple Act of 1954 (Odisha Act 11 of 1955), as stated in a notification from the Law Department.
The management of Lord Jagannath’s temple in Puri falls under the jurisdiction of the State government’s Law Department. The Gajapati Maharaja, Dibyasingha Deb, who is the titular king of Puri, serves as the permanent chairman of the SJTMC.
The SJTMC is recognized as the highest authority of the 12th-century temple, with the Chief Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), an IAS officer, acting as the secretary of the SJTMC.
In addition to Murmu, Chartered Accountant A K Sabat and distinguished cultural researcher Mahesh Kumar Sahoo have also been appointed to the SJTMC.
The additional individuals appointed to the SJTMC include: Dr. Siddheswar Mohapatra, who represents ‘Mukti Mandap’ (the supreme religious decision-making authority within the temple), along with Krushna Chandra Sarmantray, Madhusudan Singhari, Jagannath Pujapanda, Ganesh Dasmohapatra, and Ramnarayan Gochhikar (all of whom represent servitors), as well as Raghubir Das Maharaj from Balaramkot Matha, who represents ‘mathas’ and other institutions.
Previously, the BJP government in the State faced criticism from various sources for failing to reconstitute the SJTMC following the expiration of its members’ terms in September 2024.