Santanu Kumar Mohanty v. Shri Jagannath Mahaprabhu Bije Srikhetra, Puri
Case brief
What is this about?
Orissa High Court, Cuttack; W.P.(C) No.30183 of 2020; Santanu Kumar Mohanty v. Sri Jagannath Mahaprabhu Bije Srikhetra, Puri & Others; order dated 09.12.2025 by Justice Dixit Krishna Shripad; writ petition dismissed. Keywords: legitimate expectation; government policy statement; Lord Jagannath Temple Administration; sale of temple/deity property; right to alienate includes right not to alienate; Hindu deity eternal minor; minor's property cannot be sold without statutory enablement; invitation to offer need not be accepted; Harvey v. Facey 1893 AC 552; Salmond's Jurisprudence; rejection of application to buy property.
What did the court decide?
Ownership is a bundle of rights which includes the right to alienate property subject to regulatory statutes, and the right to alienate necessarily includes the right not to alienate; no statute relating the State Policy to the Petitioner's claim was cited before the Court.