A public interest litigation has been filed in the Chhattisgarh High Court seeking to stop the theft of idols from temples of tribals and to arrest the gang.
While hearing the Petition, the High Court has issued notice to the state government and sought a reply. The government has not yet responded to this. Due to this, the High Court has again given 2 weeks time to the government to submit its reply.
The division bench of Chief Justice P.R. Ramachandra Menon and Justice P.P. Sahu heard the PIL filed by the Sarul Sarna Mahotsav District Committee. It has been submitted in the Petition that idols of archaeological importance are installed in rural areas. Ancient statues are being smuggled. The gangs of thieves involved in this are continuously targeting the idols in the temples of remote rural areas.
The petition has expressed apprehension that gangs involved in smuggling are stealing ancient idols and selling them in the international market. The petitioner committee has mentioned the stolen idols on different dates in the petition.
The villagers have filed a report in the police station. Even after the complaint, the local administration has not taken any concrete action, the petition alleged.