1 week ago
Supreme Court Orders Donation Oversight at Banke Bihari Temple
The Supreme Court is checking how donations at the Banke Bihari Temple are handled.
It said devotees’ money must first go into official donation boxes or the temple’s online treasury.
The court said nobody should block access to the boxes or interfere with online donations.
A committee reported that boxes were sometimes blocked or covered with other items.
It also said some QR codes for online donations had been damaged.
Temple workers said some collected money was used for bhog and customary duties.
The court said workers could receive their proper share, but only after the money went to the deity.
The court is also considering plans to improve the area around the temple, while the Goswamis objected to using temple funds to buy property.
The Supreme Court directed all devotee donations to Shri Banke Bihari Temple’s donation boxes or online treasury.
The bench warned that interference by sewayats or anyone else would be viewed very seriously.
A court-appointed committee reported physical obstructions, covered donation boxes and damaged online-donation QR codes.
The court said bhandaris and priests must receive their share only after donations are dedicated to the deity.
The court also considered a development plan, while the Goswamis opposed using temple funds to purchase land.
- Who
- A three-judge Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, the court-appointed committee, temple sewayats and bhandaris, and representatives of the Goswamis.
- What
- The court ordered donations to be deposited in the temple’s donation boxes or online treasury and addressed concerns about temple management and development.
- Where
- Shri Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh.
- When
- Tuesday; the articles do not provide the calendar date.
- Why
- Because a committee reported concerns about donation handling, including blocked donation boxes and damaged online-donation QR codes, and the court sought a transparent treasury mechanism.
Supreme Court and Court-Appointed Committee
Goswamis and Temple Representatives
Order of Donation Distribution
Supreme Court and Court-Appointed Committee
The court said every donation must first be dedicated to the deity through the official donation boxes or online treasury, after which bhandaris and priests may receive their due share.
Goswamis and Temple Representatives
Representatives submitted that money collected by bhandaris supports bhog and customary practice, which they said is protected by a civil court decree.
Temple Development Funding
Supreme Court and Court-Appointed Committee
The committee presented a development plan and said it was working to acquire land; the court said it could direct the state to acquire land if private negotiations remained blocked.
Goswamis and Temple Representatives
Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for the Goswamis, argued that temple funds should not be used to purchase properties and said the challenge to the Uttar Pradesh management law remained pending.
Key facts
- Institution
- Supreme Court of India
- Temple
- Shri Banke Bihari Temple
- Location
- Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh
- Donation channels
- Official donation boxes or the online temple treasury
- Committee finding
- Donation boxes were reportedly obstructed or covered, and some online-donation QR codes were damaged
- Bench
- Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana
- Development plan
- A plan was prepared for infrastructure around the temple; nearly half an acre of the required 5.5 acres had been acquired
Quotes
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant
Chief justice who led the Supreme Court bench hearing the temple-management case
“First, the donation must be in dedication to the deity, and from that, you will get your share as a part of the bhandari duties. You cannot appropriate it before the person goes to the temple. A bhandari or a priest cannot have a garnishing right on the devotees’ donation”
indianexpress.com
“Let there be no doubts, and we accordingly direct that every penny of donation must come to the donation boxes or online temple treasury, and any impediment created by sewayats or anyone else shall be viewed very seriously”
indianexpress.com
timesnownews.com
Sources
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