Halting of Dehri Pujan, Darshan Timing issue at Banke Bihari Temple reach Supreme Court

Supreme Court today has issued notice on a petition filed by the Management Committee of Thakur Shree Bankey Bihari Ji Maharaj Temple raising certain issues pertaining to the working of the temple.

Senior Advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for the Temple's management committee told a CJI Surya Kant led bench today that there were certain issues on which the court's intervention was required.

"There is a change in the Darshan timings..this requires a degree of sensitivity having regard to the nature of the temple..There is a period of rest for the Deity...The timings according to us are sacrosanct..", Divan told court.

Court was further told that traditional Dehri Pujan has also been stopped. "...which is an age old tradition between guru and shishya has been discontinued..this ought not to be the situation...", Divan added.

Notably, CJI Surya Kant expressed his views on the darshan timings issue and said, "What they do is they have hours when so called affluent people can perform poojas..".

The matter will now be taken up in first week of January, 2026.

In August, the Supreme Court had constituted a committee to head the management of the Banke Bihari temple. Agreeing to modify the part of a coordinate bench's order on utilisation of temple funds as much as it affected the petitioners before it, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi had allowed the petitioner before it to approach the High Court against the Uttar Pradesh Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025.

The Uttar Pradesh government had told the Supreme Court of India that a retired Allahabad High Court judge from the Vaishnav sect should head the committee which the court has proposed to constitute to manage the affairs of the Bankey Bihari Temple in Mathura. Court was told that a retired judge to head the committee may be one who is a Sanathan Hindu, belonging to the Vaishnav Sect, so that the religious sentiments of devotees are upheld. In response, the bench had said that it would be difficult to find such a judge and appointing one belonging to the same religion would be enough.

Supreme Court has also been hearing a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Uttar Pradesh Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025, which seeks to regulate temple management and development in Vrindavan. The petitioners have also sought to restrain the state government from using temple funds for the proposed Corridor project.

Earlier, Supreme Court had paved way for the state government scheme to develop the Shri Banke Bihari Temple corridor. The Bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma had allowed the Uttar Pradesh government’s plea to utilise the funds of Shri Banke Bihari Temple only for the purchase of 5-acre land around the temple to create a holding area.

"We permit the state of Uttar Pradesh to implement the scheme in its entirety. The Banke Bihari Ji Trust is having fixed deposits in the name of the deity/temple…the state government is permitted to utilise the amount lying in the fixed deposit to acquire the land proposed," Apex Court had said.

In 2023, the Allahabad High Court had also approved the Uttar Pradesh Government's proposal for the Vrindavan (Mathura) Banke Bihari Temple Corridor, citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution. The court had instructed the removal of encroachments around the temple. However, it restrained the use of Rs 262.50 Crores from the Deity's bank account for corridor construction. Although, High Court had stated that the Deity's funds in the bank are off-limits for corridor construction. The court emphasized the government's use of its own funds for secular activities.

Quoting Articles 25 and 26, the High Court had asserted that the government must act in accordance with the law to provide better facilities for devotees. High Court had also directed the State to involve technical experts if needed and issued strict guidelines on road encroachments. It also directed the government to ensure that devotees' Darshan is not hampered in any manner, except for the implementation of the Scheme, during which appropriate alternative arrangements shall be made. "Human life cannot be put at stake just because somebody has objection. In our opinion, even the private Temples where devotees come for Darshan, safety of human life is required to be treated of utmost importance and the Government is bound to make necessary arrangements," high court had said. The proposed development scheme aims to acquire 5 acres for temple facilitation, ensuring no interference with Goswamis' rights. The PIL addressed public order management around the Banke Bihari Temple, highlighting disputes among Goswamis and safety concerns due to the lack of temple management. An intervention application by shopkeepers and residents also opposed the expansion near the sacred 'Kunj Galis.'

Case Title: Management Committee of Thakur Shree Bankey Bihari Ji Maharaj Temple and ANR Vs Shree Bankey Bihari Ji Mandir High Powered Management Committee and ORS

Bench: CJI Kant, Justice Bagchi and Justice Pancholi

Hearing Date: December 15, 2025