HC stops shifting of mutt silver

CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Thursday directed the state government that the 522 silver bricks recovered from the Emar Mutt recently cannot be shifted from the Mutt premises till the next hearing on April 4.
Justice M M Das has also directed police to provide adequate security cover at the Mutt to guard the treasure.
The direction came in wake of a petition filed by the Emar Mutt trustee Mahant Rajgopal Ramanuj Das.The petitioner have cited that the silver bricks worth Rs 80 crore were recovered from the campus of the Mutt, so the Mutt is the sole owner of the valuables and the property cannot be shifted to any other place. Even the mahant's name is inscribed on those silver bricks which clearly shows that the property belongs to the Mutt, cited the petitioner.
The petitioner have prayed before the court that the endowment commissioner should take charge of the seized silver bricks and auction them publicly. The money collected from the auction should be deposited in the account of the Mutt which can be later used for its development.
"The property was recovered from the Mutt premises so we are the sole owners of it. We have prayed before the court that after seizure ,the treasure have come under public glare and it is not safe to keep the valuables in the Mutt. So it should be auctioned by endowment commissioner and money earned from it should be deposited in the Mutt's account," said Mutt's counsel Kishore Jena.