The High Court (HC) on Monday issued a rule upon the respondents as to why they should not be directed to recruit Paltan Kumar Das in the post of worshiper at the Dhekeshwari Temple on priority basis.
The HC bench of Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder
and Justice Shahidul Karim passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Paltan Kumar Das.
Secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka and Secretary of Hindu Religion Welfare Trust have to comply with the rule within three weeks.
Sources said, the post of the chief worshiper of the temple had fallen vacant after former chief worshiper Pradip Kumar Chakrabarty died last year.
Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan took part in the hearing on behalf of the writ petitioner while Deputy Attorney General Amit Talukder stood for the state.
After the court order, Advocate Khurshid Alam Khan said, Pradip Kumar Chakrabarty was appointed as the chief worshiper in the Dhakeshwari Temple according to the direction of the High Court passed on in 1999. Later, the apex court continued the direction.
The High Court delivered the verdict on May 9 in 1999 in favour of Pradip Kumar in the line of an Indian court’s verdict delivered in 1967. The verdict said, the land givers or the descendants of the land givers will get priority to be appointed as the worshiper of a temple.
Khurshid Alam Khan said, “Writ petitioner Paltan Kumar Das’s grandfather Sudhir Kumar Das gave land for the Dhakeshwari Temple. As per CS record, Sudhir Das gave 5 decimal lands for the temple. So, Paltan Kumar will get priority to be recruited in the post.”
Paltan Kumar said, “After chief worshiper Pradip Kumar’s death, the temple is now guardian less. His (Pradip Kumar) two sons are the citizens of India. So, it is not possible for them to take the responsibility of the temple’s chief worshiper.”
He also said, “As a legal descendant, I can demand to be appointed for the post.”
