In a belated move, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday ordered a judicial probe in to the missing keys of the Ratna Bhandar of Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri.

With the Opposition parties raising the heat over the ‘missing keys’ to the treasure house of Lord Jagannath Temple, Puri, the Law Minister Pratap Jena met the CM Patnaik and promptly a decision was taken to order a judicial probe by a retired judge of the High Court.

Patnaik said a retired judge will conduct the inquiry and submit report within three months time.

It is pertinent to note that on 4 April, the Jagannath Temple Administration had opened the Ratna Bhandar following requests by the Archaeological Survey of India and a directive of Orissa High Court.

The ASI is in charge of the conservation of the temple and the Ratna Bhandar needed inspection.

But to the shock of many, the keys to the inner room of the treasure house were missing and could not be traced. After opening the first room the team failed to open the second as they did not have the keys and from a peep they noticed that even the trucks in it were not locked.

The team which comprised of the ASI officers, select priests, the chief administrator of the temple, collector Puri and others came out of the Ratna Bhandar and said they had seen the room and it was noticed that there were leakages, cracks etc which called for repair and restoration.

A few days later, the collector told media hat the keys to the second room were not available and hence they did not break the lock.

A meeting of the temple managing committee was held on 4 April itself where the issue of the missing keys was reported.

But strangely, the matter was kept under wraps till last week when media reports made it public causing a uproar among people at Puri, servitors and Opposition Congress and BJP.

The BJP demanded a statement from the CM Patnaik as it involved sentiments of crores of people.

Highly placed sources said the Ratna Bhandar was last opened in 1985 and prior to it in 1978. As per rules one set of keys are to be deposited in the treasury but this has not been done since 1961, said the sources.

There are only two persons who were involved when the room was unlocked in 1985, the rest are dead and the two living persons do not remember as to where the keys were kept or deposited.

Treasury records say that the last time the keys were deposited was in 1961.

OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik on Monday said the judicial probe order shows the casual approach of the government in the matter. It could have directed for a CBI or Crime Branch investigation, instead of a time consuming judicial inquiry.

“The judicial inquiry is an eyewash. Forgery case should be registered against those who had kept the keys. Why was the CM silent since 4 April “ said the BJP spokesperson Samir Mohanty.

But, the fact is that the BJD government has nothing to do with it since it came to power in 2000 said the BJD spokesperson while pointing out that the CM had wasted no time in ordering a judicial probe.

Many of those who are trying to politicise the issue were the ones who had opposed opening of the Ratna Bhandar on 4 April, said the BJD.