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Supreme Court: All Banke Bihari donations must go to deity
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that all donations at Vrindavan's Banke Bihari temple must go directly to the deity, taking strong exception to a court-appointed panel's report that sevayats were pocketing…
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that all donations at Vrindavan's Banke Bihari temple must go directly to the deity, taking strong exception to a court-appointed panel's report that sevayats were pocketing devotees' offerings. A bench led by Chief Justice of India said donations must be placed in temple donation boxes or credited online into the temple account.
Senior advocate Maninder Singh told the court that sevayats cover the temple management committee's donation box with flowers to stop devotees from using it, then take the offerings away. The court brushed aside arguments that a court decree allowed sevayats to keep a portion, saying they would receive their share as part of their 'bhandari' duties. The contempt petition is expected to be heard next.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Supreme Court has repeatedly intervened in temple administration disputes, including the 2018 Sabarimala verdict and the 2019 Ayodhya title suit, each involving the balance between religious custom and constitutional oversight. The Banke Bihari temple trust, governed by a 1941 scheme, is distinct because sevayats have statutory rights to a share of offerings under the Uttar Pradesh Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi Act, which the court now appears to override. The high-powered committee's report, submitted earlier this year, reportedly documented lakhs of rupees in unaccounted donations annually. The next hearing will determine whether the court issues a formal contempt notice to sevayats who continue the practice.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
