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

The bench sought a response from authorities on a plea against the changes in 'darshan' timings and temple practices at the famous Bankey Bihari Ji Temple at Vrindavan.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday expressed its displeasure over the practice of allowing people to do 'special pujas' in temples after paying money, disrupting the "resting time" of deity.

A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi sought a response from authorities on a plea against the changes in 'darshan' timings and temple practices at the famous Bankey Bihari Ji Temple at Vrindavan.

Senior advocate Shyam Divan and lawyer Tanvi Dubey for the petitioners challenged 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.

Divan contended that these darshan timings are part of tradition and rituals, and the timings during which the temple is open to the public are a part of a long tradition. The counsel submitted that historically strict timings had been followed.

The counsel said that a 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.

"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 bench said.

"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 counsel contended.

"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 bench pointed out.

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

The court issued notice to the apex court-appointed high-powered temple management committee and others and fixed the matter for hearing in the first week of January 2026.

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.

The apex court in August 2025, while hearing a challenge to the ordinance, which rests administrative control of the shrine with the state, refused to examine its constitutional validity, leaving that issue to the Allahabad High Court. However, the apex court had put on hold the operation of the ordinance till the high court decides its validity.

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