CUTTACK: Justice Raghubir Das commission , formed to probe into the loss of keys of Jagannath temple’s inner Ratna Bhandar (treasury), will hold its first meeting at Puri on July 30.Justice Das said this on Wednesday after attending the inquiry commission’s office at Circuit house here for the first time. The commission has also sought statements from the public along with any documentary evidence pertaining to the circumstances leading to mysterious disappearance of the keys of Puri Jagannath temple’s inner Ratna Bhandar (treasury).“People having knowledge of any facts about the incident or those who wish to assist the commission should submit their statements, along with documentary evidence, supported by an affidavit by July 25,” said Justice Dash.To make people aware about the matter, the commission has published the notification inviting suggestions and information from public about the incident in different regional and national dailies. People can send their affidavits to Cuttack office of the commission or at the additional district magistrate’s office in Puri.To ensure proper functioning of the commission’s office, eight employees have been appointed.The inquiry commission, which was formed on June 4, will probe how and under what circumstances keys of the treasure trove of the Lord Jagannath went missing and will submit a fact finding report to the government within three months. If required the commission can also seek for an extension of its tenure.The incident of disappearance of keys of the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar has created much furore in the state last month. Even as the whereabouts of the original key was still unknown, the Puri district administration claimed to have recovered a set of duplicate keys inside an envelope from the district record room which sparked a fresh row and intensified the public outcry over the issue.Recovery of the duplicate keys raised suspicion among people of all walks of life. Notably, the revelation regarding disappearance of the keys of the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar was made by Puri collector Arvind Agarwal after an expert team abstained from opening the chamber during maintenance inspection. According to officials, the keys are supposed to be stored in the district treasury with collector its custodian. The inner Ratna Bhandar was last opened in 1985 to fetch some ornaments for the deities. The treasury has two chambers-inner and outer. It is important to mention that keys of the outer chamber are intact.

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