‘Deity Must Be Allowed to Rest’: SC on Banke Bihari Darshan Timings
Notice issued on plea alleging disruption of traditional religious practices
- Supreme Court issues notice on plea against changed darshan timings
- Goswami community challenges disruption of traditional rituals
- Court flags concern over deity’s rest and paid puja practices
- Matter listed for hearing in first week of January
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 15th Dec: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice on a plea challenging the change in darshan timings and related religious practices at the Banke Bihari Temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Vrindavan.
Hearing the petition filed by members of the Goswami community, from which the temple’s priests are traditionally drawn, a bench led by Justice Surya Kant expressed concern over the revised schedule. The court observed that after the temple is closed at noon, the deity is not being allowed adequate rest, which, according to the petitioners, is an essential part of long-standing temple tradition.
The bench issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government, district authorities and the temple’s management committee that ordered the changes, and listed the matter for hearing in the first week of January.
The petitioners contended that the temple has historically followed a seasonal darshan schedule, with separate timings for summer and winter, closely linked to internal rituals, including designated periods for the deity’s rest. They argued that the revised timings have disrupted essential religious practices.
The plea also challenged the suspension of the traditional Dehri puja performed by the Goswami community, stating that the ritual is conducted when the temple is closed and does not affect crowd movement. Suspending it on the grounds of crowd management was described as unfounded.
Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for the temple priests, told the court that darshan timings are sacrosanct and deeply rooted in tradition. He argued that the issue goes beyond scheduling and is intrinsically linked to established religious practices, adding that there should be no privileged darshan.
The court, however, flagged concerns over safety and crowd control, noting the need to prevent any stampede-like situation. Earlier, the Supreme Court had declined to directly entertain the challenge and had constituted a high-powered committee headed by former Allahabad High Court judge Justice Ashok Kumar to oversee and supervise the day-to-day functioning of the temple.
