New Delhi, 15 December (H.S.): The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the committee appointed by the court itself, the Uttar Pradesh Government, and the Mathura-Vrindavan Development Authority (MVDA) over a petition filed by the management committee of the revered Banke Bihari Temple in Mathura. The next hearing in the case has been scheduled for the first week of January.
The petition challenges several decisions made by the court-appointed panel overseeing the temple’s management, including the extension of the temple’s visiting hours and the suspension of the traditional “Dehri Puja.”
The plea further alleges that certain Goswamis were appointed to the committee arbitrarily, without following due process.During the hearing, the Supreme Court questioned why there should be an objection if the temple’s visiting hours had been extended, noting that the change was meant to accommodate the large number of devotees visiting every day.
The dispute originated after the court-appointed committee decided to extend the daily visiting hours for devotees by two and a half hours. The temple’s Sevayats (priests and traditional caretakers) opposed the decision, arguing that altering the schedule disrupts the sacred rituals and the deity’s prescribed rest periods.
The court, however, pointed out an inconsistency, observing that while temple authorities cite the deity’s rest as a reason to limit public access, influential visitors are often allowed special access and private rituals during those restricted hours in exchange for large donations.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
