Can govt appoint trustee of Banke Bihari temple, HC asks UP govt
Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal, after hearing amicus curiae Sanjeev Goswami, fixed July 30 as the next date of hearing on a petition filed by Pranav Goswami and another.
Prayagraj (UP), Jul 23 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court has sought a reply from the Uttar Pradesh government on whether it can appoint its officials as trustees of the Banke Bihari temple in Mathura, a private temple, by the issuance of the Uttar Pradesh Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025.
However, he raised strong objections as to the seven ex-officio trustees, who are officials like the district magistrate, the special superintendent of police and the municipal commissioner of Mathura, which he said would amount to a back-door entry by the state government in the private temple.
'The creation of such a trust amounts to intruding into the Hindu religion by the state government. The Constitution does not provide for the State to practise any religion and take control of any temple,' the amicus curiae said.
The court, in its order dated July 21, sought the state government's reply and observed, 'The matter requires consideration. Hearing to continue. Put up this case as fresh on July 30, 2025. By that time, the state government would respond to the argument which has been raised by the amicus curiae. PTI COR RAJ RC
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
39 minutes ago
- Time of India
Champat Rai calls for freeing temples from govt control
Prayagraj: Speaking at the concluding session of the second day of the 'Prant Yojna Baithak' of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (Kashi Prant) in city, Vishwa Hindu Parishad central vice president and general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirtha Kshetra Trust, Champat Rai, on Sunday said, "Now, the time has come to free temples from govt control. " He also emphasised the need to unite the fragmented Hindu society and urged a pledge of unity against divisive forces. He stated that the Hindu society should respond to the mentality of dividing Hindu society on the basis of caste, language, region, and gender with unity. For this, all the workers, saints, social organisations, along with the entire Hindu society, should be appealed to identify such forces and eliminate them. " Today, there is a need for our traditions to continue uninterruptedly. For this, the society should be cultured, the family should be united, and civic duties should be followed. The organisation has been working continuously to eliminate discrimination in Hindu society since its inception. ." He also mentioned that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi temple has now taken a grand form. "We will announce its completion by hoisting the flag in November," he said. He further stated that the centenary year programmes of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh will start from this year's Vijayadashmi and will continue until next year's Vijayadashmi. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Haryana CM Saini says Rahul Gandhi's allegations on Arun Jaitley exposes his ‘politics of lies'
'The late Shri Arun Jaitley ji passed away in 2019, while the (now repealed) agricultural laws were introduced in 2020. Despite this, Rahul Gandhi is claiming that Jaitley ji came to threaten him not to oppose the agricultural laws. Addressing an event recently, Gandhi claimed that Arun Jaitley had threatened him to not speak against the farm laws, else he would face action, a charge rubbished by the BJP as 'fake news'. Chandigarh, Aug 3 (PTI) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini Sunday said Rahul Gandhi's allegations against former finance minister Arun Jaitley on the farm laws issue expose the Congress leader's 'lack of political understanding and his politics of lies'. 'This statement by Rahul Gandhi is not only laughable but also exposes his lack of political understanding and his politics of lies. By fabricating falsehoods in the name of deceased leaders, he is trying to regain his lost credibility, which is extremely shameful and condemnable,' the Haryana CM posted on X in Hindi Sunday evening. Saini added that people will not be 'misled by such false statements'. The BJP slammed Gandhi over the comments, saying he was rewriting timelines to 'suit narratives'. Congress leader Pawan Khera had responded, saying the farm laws of 2020 were the culmination of a long, deliberate, anti-farmer agenda of the BJP government. In a post on X on Saturday, Khera, chief of Congress' media and publicity department, wrote: 'For the uninitiated who have been jumping since the morning, sit down and listen: The Farm Laws of 2020 were not the only anti-farmer legislations of the BJP government. They were the culmination of a long, deliberate, anti-farmer agenda that the BJP government had been cooking up in its cauldron of destructive policy.' He said the 'first blow came in December 2014 itself, when Modi resorted to diluting the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Bill of 2013. Then in 2017 came the so-called Model Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing Act – another backdoor assault on farmers' rights'. Khera said the Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, 'vehemently opposed these anti-farmer laws'. It is in this context that the late Arun Jaitley came to 10 Janpath to meet Rahul Gandhi, carrying a threat, he claimed. PTI SUN SKY SKY This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Print
an hour ago
- The Print
Bihar SIR: Gopalganj sees largest dip in voters at over 15%, Seemanchal's Kishanganj & Purnia follow
According to the EC data, the draft electoral rolls based on the SIR exercise does not include over 65.6 lakh voters from 38 districts in Bihar. Out of this total dip of 65.6 lakh voters—the EC explained—more than 22 lakh had died, over 36 lakh have permanently shifted or were untraceable, and another seven lakh voters have enrolled as electors in multiple places. New Delhi: Gopalganj, Kishanganj and Purnia in Bihar saw the highest percentage of voter deletion in the draft rolls released by the Election Commission (EC) pursuant to its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Data pertaining to the exercise shows that while Gopalganj saw a 15.01 percent dip in voters as compared to the numbers that it had on 24 June before the exercise began, Purnia saw a 12.08 percent deletion whereas it was 11.82 percent in Kishanganj. These are followed by Madhubani (10.44 percent) and Bhagalpur (10.19 percent). Two of these five districts with the highest percentage of voter deletions come under the Seemanchal region, which has the highest percentage of Muslim population in the eastern state. Among Bihar's districts, Kishanganj has the highest Muslim population (68 percent), and Purnia has about 38 percent Muslim population according to the 2001 Census. The Seemanchal region encompasses four districts of Araria, Kishanganj, Purnia and Katihar. Also referred to as the Kosi-Seemanchal area, it includes Saharsa, Supaul, and Madhepura along with the aforementioned 4 districts. A district-wise breakdown of the draft electoral roll revision, seen by ThePrint, shows that voters have been deleted at an average of 8.06percent per district. Out of these 7 districts, four—Kishanganj, Purnia, Katihar (8.27 percent) and Saharsa (9.46 percent)—saw deletions above the average percentage of deletions. The remaining three saw deletions below average: Araria (7.59 percent), Supaul (7.81 percent) and Madhepura (6.85 percent). While Patna district saw the highest dip with 3.95 lakh voters not included in the electoral draft roll, its percentage dip remained below average at 7.84 percent. The EC has clarified that claims, objections can be filed between 1 August and 1 September to add the name of any eligible elector, or to delete the name of any ineligible elector. 'All eligible electors are appealed to check their names in the draft list, and if their name does not exist in the list, they should fill and submit Form 6 along with the Declaration Form…As per SIR orders, NO NAME CAN BE DELETED from the draft Electoral Roll, by the concerned ERO/AERO without giving a hearing to the elector and subsequently passing a written order, which is appealable to the DM and the CEO,' it said in a press note on 1 August. The electoral roll exercise is under challenge before the Supreme Court, with pleas filed by several petitioners including Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra, Bharat Jodo Abhiyan national convener Yogendra Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Jha, and non-profit organisations Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). The petitioners have alleged that the exercise is arbitrary, and have also questioned the timeline as well as the timing of the exercise, with the Bihar elections set to take place later this year. This, they contend, can lead to removal of lakhs of genuine voters, leading to their disenfranchisement. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: What an idea, SIRji! 'Dog Babu' gets residence certificate in Bihar, Oppn has a field day
