Kolkata, July 3(OT Webdesk) – The Calcutta High Court has admitted a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) against the use of the term ‘Dham’ for the recently inaugurated Jagannath Temple in Digha, West Bengal.
The VHP asserts that ‘Dham’ is a term of significant religious sanctity, historically linked to the Char Dham pilgrimage sites—Badrinath, Rameswaram, Dwarka, and especially Puri’s revered Shree Jagannath Dham.
The use of the title for the Digha temple, the petition claims, undermines the cultural and spiritual gravity of these original sites.
The case was taken up by a division bench of Justices Soumen Sen and Smita Das, with a hearing scheduled later this week.
Further intensifying the matter, the VHP also alleged that parts of the temple’s Prasad were prepared by non-Hindu vendors, calling it a breach of religious customs and community sentiment.
This PIL follows an earlier legal challenge by advocate Koustav Bagchi in May, who questioned the use of public funds for what was initially proposed as a Sanskriti Kendra (Cultural Centre) but evolved into a temple.
These successive litigations have added a constitutional dimension to the controversy, as questions are being raised about the state’s role in religious affairs within a secular framework.
As the court prepares to hear the matter, the case has reignited discourse on religious nomenclature, cultural symbolism, and governance ethics.
