Banke Bihari temple ordinance for administration, not to interfere with religious rights: UP to SC

The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it did not intend to interfere with any religious rights through the 2025 Shri Banke Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, Live Law reported.

The ordinance, passed earlier this year, allowed the state government to take over the management of the Banke Bihari temple in Mathura district’s Vrindavan.

It proposed the creation of a statutory trust with several state government officials as ex-officio trustees. The temple has historically been managed privately.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi has been hearing petitions against the ordinance. On Monday, the bench questioned the “tearing hurry” with which the state government had promulgated the law.

During the proceedings on Tuesday, Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, representing the state government, said that the ordinance would soon be placed before the Assembly for ratification, The Hindu reported.

He added that the ordinance was aimed at improving the temple’s administration.

“State never intended nor it intends to interfere with any of the religious rights of any of the parties,” Live Law quoted Nataraj as saying. “It is only with regard to the secular activities, that is, for better administration of temple that ordinance has been issued.”

Nataraj also told the bench that the temple gets around 20,000 to 30,000 devotees daily and as many as two to...

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