NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday indicated it would allow Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra in Odisha's Puri saying it cannot "micro-manage" the rituals and left it to the wisdom of state, the Centre and temple management to deal with that issue. The nine-day annual festival was scheduled to start from June 23.

The apex court had on June 18 said that in the interest of public health and safety of citizens, this year's Puri Rath Yatra cannot be allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that "Lord Jagannath won't forgive us if we allow" it.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde was informed by the Odisha government that it will coordinate with temple management and the Centre to make things smooth during Rath Yatra. The bench also comprising Justices Dinesh Maheswari and A S Bopanna was informed by the Centre that Rath Yatra can be conducted without compromising on citizen's health and with co-operation of state and temple trust.

The top court said it is considering the issue of conducting Rath Yatra in Puri only and not at other places in Odisha.

The Chief Justice Bobde, who presided over the hearing through video conferencing from his Nagpur residence, said that order will be made public after some time.

The Odisha government on Thursday, June 18 said that it would abide by the orders of the Supreme Court order.

A resolution that was passed in the meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik stated that the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee has been asked to carry out rituals inside the 12th-century shrine in Puri in accordance with the apex court's direction, an official statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office had noted.