On Sunday, Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said that anybody attempting to unlawfully trespass on and sell property owned by Lord Jagannath in Puri will face harsh consequences. On Saturday, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) complained to the Baseli Sahi police station in Puri over alleged efforts to sell Lord Jagannath’s property beneath Matitota mouza in Puri.

“We will take strong action against all persons involved in the act,” Harichandan told reporters here. We shall take strict measures against the vendor, buyer, and sub-registrar who transferred the land if any plot has been sold.

According to him, the government would never allow the sale of even a single inch of Lord Jagannath’s land without permission. According to the minister, the temple administration has likewise started along this path.

“A large corpus fund for the temple can be created through this move,” he said, adding that the government is considering measures to settle the Jagannath temple land accessible in Odisha and overseas in accordance with a standard policy developed in 2003 since the majority of land parcels are under encroachment.

Arabinda Padhee, the chief administrator of SJTA, has called on the District Collector and the SP to act quickly to halt the unlawful sale attempt in a statement. The 109 plots that make up the contested land, which is registered under khata No. 38, are the deity’s legitimate property. The management of the temple has issued a warning to the public not to participate in such unlawful acts, stating that any effort to transfer or trespass on temple property will result in harsh legal repercussions, including punishment.

According to Padhee, the “Shri Jagannath Mahaprabhu Bije, Puri Marfat Shri Jagannath Mandira Parichalana Committee” has begun the process of digitizing all of its territory.

In addition to 395 acres outside of Odisha, the Jagannath temple in Puri has over 60,426 acres of land distributed across 24 districts in Odisha.