UP Government seeks SC’s nod to take over management of 8 Mathura temples
The Uttar Pradesh Government has sought the Supreme Court’s permission to take over the management of eight temples in Mathura — currently being managed by advocates appointed by courts as receivers — during the pendency of civil suits regarding them.
"We request your lordships to issue directions to expedite the civil proceedings and allow a locally connected expert body to manage the temples in the interim," senior counsel Navin Pahwa told a Bench of Justice Bela Trivedi and Justice SC Sharma on behalf of the Uttar Pradesh Government.
Ishwar Chanda Sharma was appointed by a Mathura court as a receiver for one of the temples but the Allahabad High Court set aside his appointment.
The top court had in December 2024 expressed concerns over appointment of advocates as receivers for temples.
Stating that the state recently enacted a legislation aimed at protecting and preserving Mathura's temple heritage, Pahwa emphasized the importance of having a dedicated body comprising experts with no vested interests to ensure smooth temple operations until legal disputes are settled.
"We have to only make sure that this body of experts, which has people from the local region- who have no other interest but to administer holistically, is permitted to run the temple until such time that the civil proceedings are finally concluded,” he submitted.
He said the main temple — Shri Banke Bihari Temple established in 1864 — was spread over only 500 square yards but received a massive footfall of devotees. "Every day there are 40,000 to 50,000 devotees coming on a week-day. The figure swells up to 1.5 lakhs to two lakhs per weekend, on festivals — 5 lakh plus! The total area of the temple is 1,200 sqft,” Pahwa said.
Noting that the temples received substantive funds from devotees, he said sought to highlight the need for competent receivers to manage finances and operations responsibly.
