CUTTACK: The Orissa high court on Monday ordered interim stay on construction of a proposed temple by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) in Puri.
A division bench of Chief Justice Vineet Saran and Justice B R Sarangi directed Iskcon not to carry out any construction work at the site till disposal of the case, said counsel of the intervenor Durga Mohanty.
The court has also issued notices to the opposite parties, he added.
The court also allowed the intervention petition filed by one Bijay Panda. He has alleged forgery and encroachment of land by Iskcon at the project site.
The Iskcon had moved the court challenging Puri-Konark Development Authority's (PKDA) order restraining it from going ahead with the construction work. On February 24, a single-judge bench of Justice Kumari Sanju Panda rejected the plea of Iskcon and asked it to present its case before PKDA.
The religious body again challenged the decision before a division bench of the high court.
The matter had came to fore after senior BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra at a news conference in January alleged that Iskcon was planning to construct another Jagannath temple in Puri.
Following the allegation, the PKDA issued a notice to the religious body and directed it to stop construction of the proposed temple.
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