UP Govt defends Banke Bihari Temple ordinance; says it’s for better administration

The Uttar Pradesh Government on Tuesday defended the Banke Bihari Temple ordinance promulgated by it even as the Supreme Court suggested formation of an interim committee led by former high court judges to manage the affairs of the ancient temple at Vrindavan in Mathura until it finally decided the matter.

“The ordinance is solely to improve the temple administration. Thousands of devotees visit daily, and fund mismanagement needs to be prevented,” Additional Solicitor General KM Natraj told a Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.

"Let me clarify at the outset that the ordinance has nothing to do with the pending writ petition. There was a PIL filed for better administration of the temple before the high court and directions were passed," Nataraj submitted.

The ASG sought to clarify that the state government did not intend to interfere with religious affairs and that the ordinance had nothing to do with petitions filed in courts. The state government has merely complied with the high court’s call for a robust mechanism to run the temple administration, he added.

On behalf of the petitioners, senior counsel Kapil Sibal alleged that there was an attempt on the part of the Uttar Pradesh Government to take complete control of the temple and that the petitioners would like to make certain suggestions.

Asking both sides to suggest names of retired high court judges to head the interim committee, the Bench posted the matter for further hearing on August 8.

Questioning the tearing hurry in promulgating an ordinance to take over the management of the temple, the Supreme Court had on August 4 said it would keep in abeyance its May 15 nod to the Banke Bihari Temple corridor at Vrindavan in Mathura as main stakeholders were not heard.

The Bench had questioned the clandestine manner in which the UP Government secured the top court’s permission to use temple funds for the corridor development project and then promulgated the Bankey Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025, to transfer control and administration of the temple to the state.