Lord Jagannath rath yatra & activities connected to it will not be allowed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Supreme Court said on June 18, 2020. “Lord Jagannath will not forgive us if we allowed the rath yatra,” said SA Bobde, Chief Justice of India. CJI Bobde was hearing a petition seeking to defer the rath yatra in Odisha's Puri which is scheduled to start on June 23. SC referred to the advice by health professionals to maintain social distancing as the infectious virus can spread via respiratory droplets &surface contact. NGO, Odisha Vikas Parishad, in its petition said the yearly rath yatra in Odisha will draw some 10 lakh people and the religious event goes on for 10-12 days. The rath yatra amid the COVID-19 pandemic "will be an invitation to infect lakhs of devotees", the petition said. The petition also said that Odisha government has also not allowed religious places to open before June 30. The NGO, represented by former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, said allowing the rath yatra would violate the state government's order. India reported 12,881 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours in the biggest one-day spike. The number of cases in India has reached 3,66,946 with 12,237 deaths.
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