New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear on Monday four petitions seeking modification of its earlier order of June 18, which had stayed holding of Rath Yatra in Puri and other places in the state in view of the COVID-19 situation.

A single-judge bench of Justice S Ravindra Bhat will hear four petitions filed by different persons and organisations at 11 am via in-chamber hearing.

Earlier on June 18, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde had remarked that such gatherings cannot be allowed to take place at the time of a pandemic.

“Lord Jagannath will forgive us if we stay the Rath Yatra this year… In the interest of public health and safety of citizens, Rath Yatra cannot be allowed this year,” the apex court had observed.

The Odisha government on Sunday said it will take favourable action as legally permissible when the writ petition on holding of Puri Rath Yatra is taken up for hearing before the Supreme Court.

The statement of the government came a day after Puri Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb, who is also the chairman of temple managing committee, wrote to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik requesting that Rath Yatra in Puri may be held without congregation of devotees.

“The state government will take favourable action as legally permissible on the request of Gajapati Maharaj when the writ petition W.P.(C) No. 571 of 2020 is taken up for hearing before the Hon’ble Supreme Court,” said a press statement of Law department.

It said that the stand of the state government in the hearing before the apex court was primarily related to thousands of Rath Yatras taking place all over the state.

These involve lakhs of people, and happen almost in every Gram Panchayat of the state, it added.

The state government is in line of fire from different quarters for not making enough efforts to convince the court to hold the annual festival without the presence of devotees in Puri.