Archive · 16 Dec 2025
Orissa High Court Rules Hindu Deity Eternal Minor
The Orissa High Court recently said that a Hindu deity is like an eternal minor, which means it can't sell its property without special permission from the law.
A person had asked the court to make the Lord Jagannath Temple sell a piece of land to him, but the court said no because the temple doesn't have to sell the land just because someone wants to buy it.
The court also mentioned that the government's policy doesn't give the buyer the right to force the sale.
The temple has a lot of land, and some people who have been using it for a long time can buy or lease it, but only if the temple agrees.
The Orissa High Court dismissed a plea to direct the Lord Jagannath Temple to sell a property.
The court ruled that a Hindu deity is an eternal minor and cannot sell property without statutory enablement.
The petitioner sought to buy the property based on a government policy allowing the sale of temple land.
The court stated that the temple administration is not obligated to accept an offer to buy the property.
The temple administration has the power to sell or lease out temple land without state government approval since 2022 amendments to the Sri Jagannath Temple Act, 1954.
- Who
- Orissa High Court, Justice Dixit Krishna Shripad, a private individual petitioner
- What
- Dismissal of a plea to direct the Lord Jagannath Temple administration to sell a property
- When
- Recent, specific date not mentioned
- Where
- Orissa High Court, Orissa, India
- Why
- Because a Hindu deity is considered an eternal minor and cannot sell property without statutory enablement
- Court
- Orissa High Court
- Judge
- Justice Dixit Krishna Shripad
- Petitioner
- Private individual
- Property Status
- Held by the petitioner for decades
- Government Policy
- Amendments to the Sri Jagannath Temple Act, 1954
- Temple Land
- 60,426 acres in Orissa, 395 acres in other states
- Land Settled (2001-2010)
- 291 acres
- Land Settled (2011-2021)
- 96 acres
- Revenue Earned
- 11.20 crore