New Delhi, June 22: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik-led Odisha government on Monday told the Supreme Court that it is ready to hold the Rath Yatra procession with certain precautions. The government in its affidavit told the court that it wants the procession only be limited to Puri alone without public attendance as proposed by Gajapati Maharaj of Puri.

Submitting th affidavit in the apex court, the Odisha government said that the adiministration will will make the necessary arrangements to conduct it 'accordingly' and take out the procession in Puri as proposed by Chairman of the Puri Jagannath Temple administration. However, the state government said that it would abide by the Supreme Court’s order on staying this year’s Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri and elsewhere in the state amid COVID-19 pandemic. ISKCON Digital Jagannath Yatra 2020: Virtual Yatra to Be Held in 6 Continents; Date, Time and Where to Watch the World’s First Digital Jagannath Rath Yatra Online.

Supporting the Odisha government, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said the government has no objections with the yatra. Mehta suggested telecasting of the Rath Yatra on TV in order to avoid a large congregation of people. He said to the bench, as quoted by Indian Express, "It is a matter of faith for crores. If Lord Jagannath will not come out tomorrow, he cannot come out for 12 years as per traditions."

Earlier on June 18, the Supreme Court refused to grant permission to hold the festival and cited COVID-19 pandemic. CJI SA Bobde had said, "Lord Jagannath won’t forgive us if we allow it." This year Rath Yatra will be celebrated in June 23. Meanwhile, International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has planned world's first digital Rath Yatra, which would cover six continents.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 22, 2020 02:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).