Supreme Court Questions Practice of Special Pujas for the Wealthy at Bankey Bihari Temple: Deity's Rest Time at Stake

"The so-called affluent people are allowed to do special pujas," the CJI said

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court expressed concerns on Monday regarding the practice of permitting wealthy individuals to conduct 'special pujas' in temples for monetary compensation, thereby interrupting the deity's "resting time." This issue arose while the Court sought responses from authorities regarding a petition challenging alterations to 'darshan' timings and temple practices at the renowned Bankey Bihari Ji Temple in Vrindavan.

The Court issued a notice to the SC-appointed high-powered temple management committee and the Uttar Pradesh government, scheduling the matter for further deliberation in January's first week.

A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, alongside justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pamcholi, considered the submissions presented by senior advocate Shyam Divan and lawyer Tanvi Dubey. These submissions challenged the modifications to the deity's 'darshan' timing at Bankey Bihari Ji Temple and the cessation of certain essential religious practices, including Dehri Pooja.

"These darshan timings represent tradition and rituals. The periods during which the public may access the temple are part of a long-established tradition," explained Divan, emphasizing that historically, strict timings had been observed.

"The alteration in temple timings has resulted in changes to internal temple rituals, including the schedules when the deity awakens in the morning and retires at night," he continued.

"What they do is, after closing the temple at 12 noon, they do not permit the deity to rest even momentarily, exploiting the deity considerably. Those affluent individuals who can afford substantial payments are allowed to perform special pujas," the Chief Justice remarked orally.

"That is not acceptable. Your lordships may ensure it is prohibited. The deity's rest period is vitally important. The court raises an extremely significant point. The timings are sacrosanct and must be maintained," responded the senior lawyer.

"This is precisely when they engage in these practices, inviting those who can pay for special pujas," the CJI added.

Divan and Dubey, representing the temple sevayats, emphasized that the puja timings are inviolable and should be rigorously adhered to.

They explained that the temple has traditionally followed strict seasonal schedules with distinct timings for summer and winter, which were intricately connected with internal rituals, including the deity's waking and resting periods.

Divan argued that recent timing modifications, implemented pursuant to office memoranda issued in September 2025, have disrupted essential religious practices within the temple.

The petitioners also highlighted that the discontinuation of the ancient "Dehri Pooja," performed exclusively by the Goswamis as part of the Guru–Shishya parampara, was unjustified. They contended that citing crowd management as grounds for suspension was unfounded since the ritual occurs when the temple is closed to the public and at a specific, limited location.

After hearing these arguments, the bench directed that relevant parties, including the temple management committee, be served notice.

The dispute emerged against a backdrop of significant changes in the temple's governance structure. For decades, the 1939 Scheme of Management governed the administration, rituals, and financial affairs of the Bankey Bihari Temple.

The Uttar Pradesh Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025, aims to replace this scheme with a state-controlled trust, generating debate regarding governmental involvement in religious institutions and its impact on established traditions.

In August 2025, while addressing a challenge to the ordinance, the Supreme Court declined to examine its constitutional validity, leaving that matter to the Allahabad High Court.

However, it stayed the ordinance's operation, which places administrative control of the shrine with the state, until the high court determines its validity.

Nevertheless, the Court established a high-powered committee, headed by former Allahabad High Court judge Justice Ashok Kumar, to manage the temple's daily operations.

The committee was tasked with ensuring basic amenities for devotees, including clean drinking water, functional washrooms, shelters, dedicated crowd corridors, and facilities for elderly and vulnerable pilgrims.

It was also empowered to plan the overall development of the temple and surrounding areas, including land acquisition if necessary.