The Supreme Court has spoken of staying the ordinance of the Uttar Pradesh government regarding the management of the Banke Bihari temple of Vrindavan. The court has said that the temple’s Goswami and the other party can challenge the ordinance in the High Court. At present, the management of the temple will be handled by a committee headed by the former judge of the High Court. Written order will be issued by Saturday, August 9. There will be details of the chairman and the rest of the members of the committee.
The bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi indicated the possible order and said:-
- We will remove the part of the order issued from another bench of the Supreme Court which affects the rights of the existing committee of the temple.
- The ordinance of the state government regarding the management of the temple will not be implemented at present. However, there is no ban on getting the ordinance in the assembly by presenting it in the assembly.
- The petitions against the ordinance heard the Division Bench of the High Court.
- A committee will be formed under the chairmanship of the former High Court judge for the management of the temple. There will also be people of the administration and some Goswami in it.
On May 15, a bench of Supreme Court Justice Bela Trivedi and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma ordered that the state government should use the temple funds to construct the Banke Bihari temple corridor. The traditional priests of the temple and the management committee of Goswamis have opposed it. He has also denied the ordinance of the state government who came after the Supreme Court order.
The Goswamis have opposed the ordinance of the state government and said that the government is trying to take a private temple under its control. The UP government has made it clear in the reply filed in the Supreme Court that it has no intention of interfering in religious activities. She only wants to make better arrangements for millions of devotees coming to the temple.