Latest news with #ShriBankeBihariJiTempleTrustOrdinance
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Monsoon session: Banke Bihari Temple Trust Bill tabled in Uttar Pradesh assembly
The Yogi Adityanath government on Wednesday tabled the Uttar Pradesh Shri Banke Bihari Ji Temple Trust Bill 2025 in the state assembly, replacing the ordinance promulgated on May 26. The Banke Bihari Temple is situated in Vrindavan town of Mathura district. (FILE PHOTO) The bill provides for a trust to manage all funds related to the temple situated in Vrindavan town of Mathura district. The legislation is likely to be cleared on Thursday, the fourth day of the ongoing Monsoon session of the state assembly. Minister of state for health Mayankeshwar Sharan Singh read out the bill in the presence of chief minister Yogi Adityanath. This bill will give the trust rights over all the offerings and properties of the temple, including movable and immovable properties. Apart from jewellery, it also includes bank drafts and cheques. Besides, the trust will decide the time of temple darshan, appointment of priests and salaries. According to the provisions of the bill, the trust will get the work done for the temple complex and proposed corridor by taking advice from archaeological experts, engineers, architects and reputed institutions. The trust will include 11 nominated and seven ex officio members. Citing objectives of the bill, the government stated, 'The temple of Shri Bankey Bihari Ji located in Vrindavan Nagar of Mathura is an ancient temple. A large number of devotees visit here, especially during festivals. The temple is spread across approximately 870 square metres, out of which around 365 square metres is used as a viewing courtyard. Due to the extremely narrow access route to the temple, devotees and visitors face severe inconvenience. The tragic death of two devotees during an incident of overcrowding on August 20, 2022 highlighted the urgent need for efficient crowd management.' 'To fulfill the above-mentioned objectives, and for the all-round development and proper management of the Shri Banke Bihari Ji Temple area, including pilgrimage, religious, cultural, spiritual, and establishment-related aspects and to ensure the temple's development and regulation in an organized manner, it was decided to constitute a trust named – Shri Banke Bihari Ji Temple Trust,' the bill said. Since the state legislature was not in session and immediate legislative action was necessary to implement the aforesaid decision, the Uttar Pradesh Shri Banke Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025 (UP. Ordinance No. 3 of 2025) was promulgated by the governor on May 26, 2025. The Shri Banke Bihari Temple Trust, the bill said, will be irrevocable and will manage all funds, valuables assets, deposits, jewelleries donations by whatever name called, including but not limited to grants, subscriptions, contributions, hundi collection, daan, chadhawa, nazar, dakshina, offerings, gifts, presents and properties, whether moveable or immoveable, present or in the future vested in the deity and/or the temple or being held in his name and/or for his or the temple's benefit. The Supreme Court on August 8 said the Uttar Pradesh government's Bankey Bihari Temple Trust ordinance that rests administrative control of the iconic religious place with the state, would remain in abeyance till the high court decides the validity of statute. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi reserved its verdict on a batch of pleas challenging the Uttar Pradesh Shri Banke Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025 and recall of the May 15 order clearing the state's scheme to develop the Shri Banke Bihari Temple Corridor at Vrindavan in Mathura. The bench said it would modify the May 15 order of the coordinate bench with regard to allowing the use of temple funds for acquiring 5-acre land in the name of the deity for developing it as a holding area for devotees. According to the bill, 'The Board of Trustees shall be appointed by the state government. There shall be two kinds of trustees in the Board, namely nominated trustees and ex officio trustees. There shall be 11 nominated trustees, including three eminent persons including seers, saints, gurus, scholars, mathadhishes (heads of monasteries), mahants, acharyas, swamis from the Vaishnav traditions, orders or peethas.' Also, it will have three eminent persons, including seers, saints, gurus, scholars, mathadhishes, mahants, acharyas, swamis from other traditions, orders or peethas of the Sanatan Dharma. Besides, there will be three persons of eminence from any walk of life from any branch or order of the Sanatan Dharma. Two members from the officiating Goswamis at the temple. 'The ex officio trustees shall not exceed seven (7) but shall include the district magistrate, Mathura, the senior superintendent of police, Mathura; (c) municipal commissioner, Mathura, chief executive officer of the Uttar Pradesh Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad,' according to the bill. The trust will ensure world class amenities and facilities for pilgrims, devotees and visitors, including but not limited to provisions for appropriate and designated points for prasad distribution, improvement of access facilities for senior citizens and differently abled, potable water dispensers, resting benches and booths computerized access and queue management kiosks, setting up of Gaushalas, Annakshetras, Kitchens, rest and travel houses, hotels and serais, exhibition halls, food halls, waiting halls. Also, it will ensure the structural safety of the temple by means of consultation, survey, engagement of renowned archaeological experts, engineers, architects and institutions of repute and further engagement of historians and restoration agencies who can carry out repairs and restorations to ensure the preservation of the temple timelessly and for the benefit of the coming generations. (With PTI inputs)
Scroll.in
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
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 three lakh on weekends. 'There is a requirement for better facilities, better administration,' The Hindu quoted him as saying. 'There has been mismanagement of funds.' Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the current temple management, objected to the submission that funds were allegedly being mismanaged. 'There was no allegation of mismanagement of funds at any stage,' the newspaper quoted Sibal as saying. After going through a proposal submitted by the state government, the bench listed the matter for Friday to allow the petitioners to give their suggestions in the matter, Live Law reported. It further asked both sides to give their recommendations for the appointment of a retired High Court judge to head a committee to oversee the management of the temple as an interim measure. SC on UP government's 'clandestine' approach On Monday, the bench had criticised the Uttar Pradesh government for acting in a 'clandestine manner' to secure permission to use temple funds for a corridor project through an application in a civil dispute. The court was referring to a May 15 verdict that allowed the government to use temple funds to acquire five acres of land around the temple to develop a corridor that is estimated to cost Rs 500 crore. The Supreme Court had modified a 2023 Allahabad High Court order, which had permitted the corridor's development but barred the use of Rs 262.5 crore from the temple fund. The May 15 permission was granted on the condition that the acquired land be registered in the name of the deity. The bench, on Monday, verbally proposed to recall the directions in the May 15 verdict.
Hindustan Times
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
HC adjourns hearing in Banke Bihari temple ordinance case
The Allahabad high court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing over creating a government trust to control and supervise the Shri Banke Bihari Mandir at Mathura through an ordinance. The court fixed August 6 as the next date for hearing. The court fixed August 6 as the next date for hearing. (For representation) When the matter was taken before justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal, chief standing counsel of the state government Rajeshwar Tripathi apprised the court that the matter involving issuance of 'The Uttar Pradesh Shri Banke Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025' case may be deferred as the same issue is pending before the Supreme Court. The court adjourned the hearing, saying, 'Put up this matter as fresh on 6th August, 2025.' During the previous hearing, the high court had sought a reply from the state government on whether the government can appoint government officials as trustees of a private temple like Banke Bihari temple, by an ordinance. However, the state government has yet to file its reply. Earlier on July 21, Sanjeev Goswami, amicus curiae in the case, had said that it was a private temple and the religious practice was being carried out by the heirs of the late Swami Hari Das Ji. He added that by issuing the ordinance, the government was trying to take control over the temple through the backdoor. The amicus curiae apprised the court that as per the ordinance, there would be two kinds of trustees -- nominated and ex officio. The nominated trustees would be the sadhus, seers, gurus, scholars, mathadhish and mahants from the Vaishnav tradition as well as followers of Sanatan Dharma. He raised objections to the ex-officio trustees (seven in number), including officials like Mathura DM, SSP, and Mathura municipal commissioner. 'Creating such a Trust amounts to intruding into the Hindu religion by the state government. The Constitution of India does not provide for the state to practise any religion and take control of any temple,' the amicus curiae said.
