Odisha Govt Reconstitutes Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, Names 10 New Members

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has reconstituted the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee (SJTMC) by nominating ten new members to the governing body of the 12th-century shrine in Puri.

According to a notification issued by the Law Department, Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, the titular king of Puri, will continue as the permanent chairperson of the committee. The new panel also features prominent names, including former Comptroller and Auditor General of India Girish Chandra Murmu and Chartered Accountant A K Sabat.

Murmu, a former Gujarat-cadre IAS officer, has held several key posts in the past, including Principal Secretary to Narendra Modi during his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister, and later, the first Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.

Others nominated to the committee are Siddheswar Mohapatra (representing Mukti Mandap), Krushna Chandra Sarmantray, Madhusudan Singhari, Jagannath Pujapanda, Ganesh Dasmohapatra, Ramnarayan Gochhikar, and Raghubir Das Maharaj of Balaramkot Matha (representing Mutts and religious institutions). Mahesh Kumar Sahoo, a resident of Bantala in Angul district, has also been inducted.

The appointments, made under the Shree Jagannath Temple Act, 1954, come as the state prepares to undertake the much-awaited inventory of the Ratna Bhandar, the temple’s treasure chamber.

The tenure of the previous managing committee had expired on September 3, 2024, making this reconstitution necessary.