Calcutta HC quashes VHP's plea to remove 'Dham' from Digha's Jagannath temple

Calcutta High Court dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) challenging the use of the term 'Dham' for the newly constructed Jagannath temple in Digha. The Division Bench, led by Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Pal, rejected the plea on Tuesday, effectively upholding the state's decision to refer to the coastal shrine as 'Jagannath Dham.'

The core of the VHP's argument centered on the sanctity and religious significance of the word 'Dham,' which they contended is traditionally reserved exclusively for the four ancient pilgrimage sites in Hinduism: Badrinath, Dwarka, Rameswaram, and Puri. The petitioners argued that arbitrarily attaching the 'Dham' nomenclature to the Digha temple misrepresented religious tradition and potentially hurt the sentiments of millions of devotees, particularly those who revere the original Shree Jagannath Dham at Puri.

However, the dismissal of the current petition does not completely shut the door on the issue. The court clarified that the petitioner is free to file a fresh PIL on the same matter, provided they come prepared with all the necessary and complete documentation from the outset.