THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, Nov 6: The Supreme Court has granted permission to present suggestions for removing encroachments from the Baba Baidyanath Temple premises in Deoghar and for improving facilities for devotees. The order came after a hearing on an appeal filed by Sanjeev Singh.
The court expressed hope that the concerned authorities would consider these suggestions to ensure better amenities for visitors to the temple.
Earlier, the Jharkhand High Court had dismissed a related petition, following which Sanjeev Singh challenged the decision before the Supreme Court.
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A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, and Justice Joymalya Bagchi heard the petition filed by Sanjeev Singh. After the hearing, the court directed him to submit his suggestions on the matter to the competent authorities.
In its judgment, the Supreme Court stated that it does not wish to express any opinion on the allegations of encroachment mentioned in the petition. The bench observed that the petitioner should approach the appropriate authorities with his suggestions regarding the issue.
Notably, Sanjeev Singh had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Jharkhand High Court alleging encroachment on land within the Baba Temple complex and seeking its removal to provide better facilities for devotees.
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The state government and officials from the tourism department were named as respondents in the petition, which was heard by a bench of Chief Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Justice Rajesh Shankar.
The High Court dismissed the PIL, stating that the petitioner was not a resident of Jharkhand and had not made any individual a respondent in the encroachment allegations. After this dismissal, Sanjeev Singh appealed to the Supreme Court.
