The RTI revelations from the Puri Collector’s office expose how deeply entrenched VVIP culture remains in our sacred festivals. An astonishing 24,750 passes were distributed during Ratha Jatra 2025, including 2,500 cordon passes, with nearly ninety thousand rupees spent on printing and distribution alone.

Such practices reduce a spiritual celebration into a spectacle of privilege, pushing ordinary devotees to the margins. Lord Jagannath belongs to all, not just the powerful and connected.

True devotion thrives in equality and accessibility. It is time authorities end this obsession with special passes and restore dignity to the people’s festival.