SC expresses unhappiness over 'special pujas' for affluent disrupting resting time of deity

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday expressed unhappiness over the practice of allowing people to do 'special pujas' in temples after paying money, disrupting the "resting time" of deity, as it sought a response from authorities on a plea challenging changes in 'darshan' timings and temple practices at the famous Bankey Bihari Ji Temple at Vrindavan.

It issued notice to the SC-appointed high-powered temple management committee and the Uttar Pradesh government and listed the matter for further consideration in the first week of January.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pamcholi took note of the submissions of senior advocate Shyam Divan and lawyer Tanvi Dubey assailing the change in ‘darshan’ timing of the deity at Bankey Bihari Ji Temple and also stopping of certain essential religious practices, including Dehri Pooja there.

"These darshan timings are part of tradition and rituals. The timings during which the temple is open to the public are a part of a long tradition," Divan said, adding that historically, strict timings had been followed.

"The change in temple timings has led to a change in the internal temple rituals, including the timings when the deity wakes up in the morning and sleeps at night," he said.

"What they do is, after closing the temple at 12 noon, they do not allow the deity to rest even for a second and they exploit the deity like anything. The so-called affluent people, those who can afford to pay hefty amounts, are allowed to do special pujas," the CJI observed orally.

"That is not so. Your lordships may ensure that it is proscribed. It is a very important period of rest for the deity. This is important. The court is raising an extremely important point. The timings are sacrosanct and should be maintained," the senior lawyer said.

"This is the time when they indulge in all kinds of these practices that they invite people who can pay, and special pujas are done," the CJI said.

Divan and Duney, representing the temple sevayats, said that the puja timings are sacrosanct and they should be strictly adhered to.

They said the temple has historically followed strict seasonal timings and distinct schedules for summer and winter which were closely intertwined with internal rituals, including the waking and resting of the deity.

Divan argued that recent changes in timings, effected pursuant to office memoranda issued in September 2025, have disrupted the essential religious practices in the temple.

The petitioners also highlighted that the discontinuation of the age-old “Dehri Pooja”, performed exclusively by the Goswamis, is a part of the Guru–Shishya parampara, arguing that its suspension on grounds of crowd management was unfounded since the ritual is performed when the temple is closed to the public and at a limited, specific location.

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

The dispute arose against the backdrop of significant changes in the temple’s governance framework. 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, seeks to replace this scheme with a state-controlled trust, triggering debate over governmental involvement in religious institutions and its impact on established traditions.

In August 2025, while hearing a challenge to the ordinance, the top court declined to examine its constitutional validity, leaving that issue to the Allahabad High Court.

It had, however, stayed the operation of the ordinance, which rests administrative control of the shrine with the state, till the high court decides its validity.

However, it constituted a high-powered committee, headed by former Allahabad High Court judge Justice Ashok Kumar, to manage the temple’s day-to-day affairs.

The committee was entrusted 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 its surrounding areas, including land acquisition if required.