Banke Bihari temple case: Supreme Court appoints ex-Allahabad HC judge to lead panel, stays UP govt ordinance

It withdrew earlier directions from its May 15, 2025 judgment, which had permitted the State to use temple funds for the Vrindavan corridor development project

The Supreme Court of India has set up a High Powered Committee to oversee the daily administration of the Shri Banke Bihari Temple in Uttar Pradesh' Vrindavan. Justice Ashok Kumar, a former Judge of the Allahabad High Court, has been appointed as the Chairperson of this committee, LiveLaw reported.

This move comes with the suspension of the earlier committee formed under the Uttar Pradesh Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025. The court has referred the question of the Ordinance’s constitutional validity to the Allahabad High Court. Meanwhile, until the High Court reaches a decision, the newly constituted Supreme Court committee will be responsible for managing the temple.

The Supreme Court stayed the provisions of the Ordinance that grant the State government powers to form a Trust for managing the temple affairs, citing the likelihood of a prolonged hearing by the High Court.

The apex court also asked the Allahabad High Court to decide on the constitutional validity of the Ordinance within one year from the date of filing of the writ petitions.

It withdrew earlier directions from its May 15, 2025 judgment, which had permitted the State to use temple funds for the Vrindavan corridor development project.

The bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi passed this order in a batch of writ petitions challenging the Ordinance.

The committee members include Mukesh Mishra, a retired District and Sessions Judge of Uttar Pradesh, the District & Sessions Judge of Mathura, the Munsif/Civil Judge of Mathura, the District Magistrate/Collector of Mathura, the Senior Superintendent of Police, Mathura, the Municipal Commissioner of Mathura, the Vice Chairman of the Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority, a reputed architect appointed by the Chairperson, a representative from the Archaeological Survey of India, and two representatives from each of the two Goswami groups.

The court ordered that the Chairperson will get a monthly honorarium of Rs 2 lakhs from the temple’s funds, along with full secretarial support and transport facilities, according to LiveLaw. Mukesh Mishra, a committee member, will receive Rs 1 lakh monthly from the same source.

The committee is tasked with planning the comprehensive development of the temple and its surroundings. It may attempt to negotiate the private purchase of required land, and if negotiations fail, the State government is directed to acquire the land according to legal procedures, the report said.

The court also clarified that apart from the four Goswami members on the committee, no other Goswami or sevayat will be allowed to interfere with the temple’s critical management functions, except for conducting religious services such as puja, sewa, and offering prasad.

Expressing concern over past management issues, the court has been quoted as saying, “We are pained to observe that the previous administerial deadlocks and in-fighting have only worsened the problems plaguing the Temple, causing much distress to the pilgrims who are left without any amenities or redress.”

It further added that despite the temple receiving donations amounting to hundreds of crores, “no tangible steps appear to have been taken by the successive managements for providing essential facilities to the scores of devotees visiting the Temple.”

The court also observed that the Goswami Shebaits are divided into factions and continue to litigate in civil courts, “further contributing to administrative inaction.”

The State Government raised no objections to the Supreme Court’s constitution of the committee.

The committee is empowered to address various issues vital to the temple’s proper functioning, including the provision of “essential amenities such as clean drinking water, functional washrooms, adequate shelter and seating, dedicated corridors for crowd movement, and special arrangements for the elderly, women, children, and persons with disabilities", the report said.

Also read: Banke Bihari temple case: Why row over UP govt's Ordinance reached Supreme Court