Latest news with #Goswamis'
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
SC: Panel led by retd HC judge to manage Banke Bihari temple
NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Friday said it would give legal shape to its view that a committee headed by a retired high court judge should administer Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan until Allahabad HC decided the validity of UP govt's ordinance for development of the temple and its surroundings. A bench of justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said given the unfortunate incident of a stampede inside the temple in 2022 resulting in deaths of pilgrims, "we are of the view that the temple administration should be managed in the interim by a committee headed by a retired HC judge who should be assisted by top officials of Mathura district." Appearing for the Goswamis (pujaris), who claim it was a private temple and that govt had no authority to take over its administration, senior advocate Kapil Sibal suggested to the court that it would be better if a retired SC judge was made chairperson of the temple management committee. The bench said, "A retired HC judge would be good enough to manage the temple administration." Apart from administration, SC said it was mulling empowering the retired judge-led committee to "look into purchase of land around the temple". The bench said it would also authorise the retired HC judge to induct some 'Goswamis' into the committee for the purpose of smooth conduct of temple rituals. Additional solicitor general K M Nataraj, appearing for UP govt, br-ought to the court's notice that a single judge bench of the HC was also hearing a challenge to the ordinance and that it had made certain unwarranted observations and passed orders. The Justice Kant-led bench said, "Is the single judge not aware of the proceedings before SC?" The bench stayed the order and further proceedings before the single judge.
Hindustan Times
01-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Keeping up with UP: Tread carefully on Banke Bihari temple corridor in Vrindavan
In the months before Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in (KVC) Varanasi in March, 2019, the state government had fought court cases and simultaneously held conciliatory talks with the affected parties who were against the project. The ambitious Banke Bihari temple corridor (BBTC) project in Vrindavan town of Mathura district in western UP will connect the ancient temple with the Yamuna river. (AFP) Seven major high-level meetings were held between the state government officials and the aggrieved shopkeepers, house owners and others. The contentious issues were several including the city losing its rich heritage and the compensation paid to them. Within three years, Modi inaugurated the KVC on December 13, historic Kashi Vishwanath Temple was connected to the Ganga through four pathways. It was Modi's dream project. Now, the government is rolling out yet another ambitious project – the Banke Bihari temple corridor (BBTC) in Vrindavan town of Mathura district in western UP, connecting the ancient temple with the Yamuna river. The idea was mooted in the first tenure of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who is now hopeful of completing it in his second term, provided there is either an amicable settlement or legal validation. The Sevayat Goswamis, the serving priests in the ancient temple, have moved the Supreme Court. The petitioner, Devendra Nath Goswami, informed the court that he was the lineal descendent of the Banke Bihari temple's founder Swami Hari Das Goswami and that his family has managed the affairs of the temple for 500 years. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing on his behalf, has submitted that 'a fund of ₹ 300 crore has been given to the Uttar Pradesh government without making us, the Goswamis, the party'. He also argued that the Supreme Court had, in its May 15 verdict, allowed the UP government to use the temple fund without making the Goswamis a party. The Supreme Court, on May 15, 2025, had allowed the UP government to use ₹ 500 crore from the temple fund to acquire 5 acres of land with the direction that the registration of the land would be done in the name of the deity/temple trust. The counsel for the state government had then informed the apex court that the state has formed a trust to manage the temple and oversee work on the proposed corridor. The issue is listed for hearing in July-end. TALKS ON The government has, meanwhile, stepped up discussions with the affected parties to resolve the tangle. Advisor to the chief minister, Awanish Kumar Awasthi, who was also involved in Kashi dialogues, visited Vrindavan on June 6 and met the stakeholders. While the state government claims that their aim was to improve the movement and safety of pilgrims, locals, specially the Goswamis, doubt the very intent of the government, which they fear, is to take control of the temple. Apparently, the Goswamis' opposition is more to the Uttar Pradesh Shri Banke Bihari Ji Mandir Nyas ordinance, promulgated on May 26, 2025, barely 11 days after the Supreme Court order. The trust, with 18 members (11 nominated, seven ex officio) and two from the temple's traditional Goswami priests would ensure that the religious rituals, practices, festivals and puja at Banke Bihari temple continue without any interference or changes. It will also oversee the appointment of priests, ensure security of the devotees and supervise work on the proposed corridor. As of now, the Goswamis are the custodians of the temple and its funds. Mahesh Pathak, chairman of Akhil Bharat Teerth Purohit Mahaparishad, said: 'We will never allow the government to acquire the temple and (are) reminded how the chief minister, as an MP, had opposed its acquisition in Parliament.' He said they were in talks with the representatives of the government on a very regular basis and have offered solutions for an amicable settlement. 'The government can hand over suitable land to us to construct a sprawling temple where we would shift the deity. This would also save the shops and the houses from demolition while retaining the historical culture of kunj gallis.' Pathak said the CM himself has been to Vrindavan several times and is aware of its geography. 'How would the devotees pay their obeisance to deity during construction activity. Will they close the temple for three years?' Questioning the formation of another trust when the Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad already existed, he asked, 'Why do they need a new trust and why do they want a majority in its membership? All this creates doubts about the intentions of the government. The 11-member trust (excluding ex officio members) should have six members from the Goswamis.' Rajat Goswami, former vice-president of the now defunct temple committee, questioned the fast-pace with which the government acted after the Supreme Court clearance. 'What was the urgency? The apex court order came on May 15 and the ordinance was promulgated on May 26 last. SC is hearing our petition on July 27. They could have waited till then,' Rajat said. 'We are certainly opposed to using Thakurji's money for the acquisition of land. The government wants to take over management of all the 157 temples of Braj, besides the seven prominent devalayas along the Yamuna banks. The issue is also about Vrindavan's spiritual and cultural heritage which draws huge crowds from across the world – 50,000 on a daily basis which increases up to nine lakhs on auspicious days.' Government officials, however, are confident of reaching a settlement and mentioned that talks had helped in Kashi. 'We would rehabilitate all affected residents and shopkeepers,' an official, who asked not to be named, said. According to him, the public and the pilgrims were in favour of the corridor, the Goswamis and some shopkeepers were protesting. 'They all agree that in the long run, everyone will benefit.' But a handful of people cannot stop us from bringing back the splendour of Vrindavan and (ensure) the safety of pilgrims, he added. How it started On August 20, 2022, two devotees died of suffocation in the temple premises. Janmashtami celebrations were on and the crowds were huge. Goswami, quoted earlier, claimed the management of the crowds was entrusted to the administration and not them. Soon after the stampede, the minister for sugarcane development and sugar industry Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary announced construction of a dedicated corridor for smooth flow of devotees to the Banke Bihari temple. He promised to retain the ancient structure but expand the open space to accommodate about 5000 devotees as against 800 at any hour. A local activist from Mathura Anant Sharma filed a PIL in the Allahabad High Court, which asked the state government to submit a development plan for the temple on December 20, 2022. In November 2023, the high court allowed the BBTC. The government went into overdrive. It constituted a committee to conduct a survey that December, followed by red-ink marking on 322 constructions around the temple for demolition by January 2023. Protests started on the streets while the Goswamis and the priests of the temple filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court. On May 15, 2025, the Supreme Court allowed the state government to use ₹ 500 crore from the temple's fund to acquire the proposed five acres of land around the temple. Within days, the state cabinet approved setting up a Banke Bihariji Mandir Nyas Trust and governor Anandiben Patel cleared the ordinance, paving the way for the formation of the 18-member trust.
Hindustan Times
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Banke Bihari Corridor: Mathura admin draws up rehab scheme
: Amid the Goswamis' vocal opposition to the Banke Bihari Corridor plan, the Mathura district administration has come up with a scheme to rehabilitate the sevayats or servitors (the Goswami community members engaged in prayers and priestly duties) at the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan. The plan envisages accommodating the sevayats at Rukmani Vihar in Vrindavan. The Uttar Pradesh government's decision to form a trust to manage the Banke Bihari Temple and oversee the construction of the corridor has met with strong opposition from the Goswami community, the hereditary priests who have managed the temple for centuries. They view this as a government 'takeover' attempt, eroding their traditional authority and control over the temple's affairs. In the context of Hindu temples, sevayats are individuals or families who are responsible for performing various ritual services and duties related to the deity and the temple. Their position is hereditary. The Supreme Court has given the go-ahead for the Banke Bihari Corridor, an ambitious plan to ease crowd congestion and enhance the pilgrimage experience around the shrine. The state government has brought an ordinance to create a Trust to run the temple and oversee work of the proposed corridor. After the recent visit of Awanish Kumar Awasthi, the special advisor to chief minister, to Vrindavan on June 6, the work for the proposed Banke Bihari Corridor has gathered pace. The Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority has selected land in Rukmani Vihar and Sunrakh Bangar for a residential scheme to rehabilitate 275 families to be affected by the Banke Bihari corridor, Mathura district magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh said on Wednesday. 'The work for the proposed Banke Bihari Corridor to enhance facilities for lakhs of devotees coming to the Banke Bihari Temple is attaining pace. Physical verification is being conducted for land measuring 5.5 acres required for the proposed corridor. Alongside this, we have drafted schemes to rehabilitate those to be affected by the corridor,' the Mathura DM said. 'The district administration will offer to settle the land owners affected by the corridor at Rukmani Vihar and Sunrakh Bangar in Vrindavan. The land has been selected and flats will be brought up in a residential scheme. The work is to be undertaken by Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority,' Singh said. 'The 275 land owners to be affected by acquisition of land for Banke Behari corridor include 200 shopkeepers. These shop owners will be allocated shops within the Banke Bihari corridor and compensation will be provided on the basis of land and shops being affected. Those affected by the corridor will be provided the option to settle in a common region for which a residential scheme has been worked out,' Chandra Prakash Singh said. Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority vice chairman Shyam Bahadur Singh said, 'We plan to construct 325 to 350 flats, both 1 BHK and 2 BHK, on four big plots at Rukmani Vihar Residential Scheme. If required, the number of flats will be increased by marking out adjoining land. Further, land measuring 3.5 acres has been selected at Sunrakh Bangar in Vrindavan.' 'Plots measuring 3924.91 square metres, 2844 square metres, 1800 square metres and 1504 square metres have been selected in Rukmani Vihar where 325 to 350 flats are to be developed under Group Housing Scheme having 1 BHK and 2 BHK flats,' he said. 'A design has been planned for flats to be constructed for affected families because of the corridor. Houses in Rukmani Vihar are on top priority,' said Arvind Kumar Dwivedi, secretary of MVDA. When asked about the proposal, Rajat Goswami, the former vice-president of the erstwhile managing committee at the Banke Bihari Temple (defunct after a court order), stated that the district administration has not communicated any such rehabilitation plan to them and they are not in position to react as of now. 'The district administration is in conversation with us on various aspects, but has not communicated any such plan in writing to us. The stakeholders should be taken into confidence before making such plans public,' Rajat Goswami said. Earlier, seeking a consensus on the proposed Banke Bihari Corridor project, Awasthi held meetings with local residents, traders and Goswamis (priests) in Vrindavan on June 6. On May 15, the Supreme Court paved the way for a state government scheme to develop the Banke Bihari Corridor for the benefit of devotees. The apex court also allowed the state government to use temple funds to purchase five-acre land for the corridor. The state government on May 27 constituted a Trust to manage the Banke Bihari temple and oversee the work of the proposed corridor.
