New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) The Supreme Court has ordered the formation of a high-powered management committee, headed by retired Allahabad High Court judge Justice Ashok Kumar, to oversee the day-to-day affairs of the revered Shri Banke Bihari Temple in Mathura’s Vrindavan.

A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi ordered that the high-powered management committee will also include retired district judge Mukesh Mishra; Mathura’s District & Sessions Judge; the Munsif, Mathura; the District Magistrate; the Senior Superintendent of Police; the Municipal Commissioner; the Vice Chairman of the Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority; a nominee of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI); a renowned architect; and two representatives from each Goswami group.

The Justice Kant-led Bench clarified that apart from the four Goswami representatives on the committee, “no other Goswami or sevayat shall be associated with, or allowed to interfere or impede in any way in the managing of the temple’s critical functions, except in performing puja/sewa and offering prasad to the deity”.

The apex court directed that the committee may deal with a variety of issues incidental to the proper functioning of the temple, including ensuring clean drinking water, functional washrooms, adequate seating and shelter, crowd-control corridors, special arrangements for vulnerable groups, and safety protocols during peak days and festivals.

As per the Supreme Court’s order, the high-powered panel will plan the holistic development of the temple and its surroundings, and may privately negotiate the purchase of the requisite land and if such negotiations fail, the state government will acquire the required land in accordance with law. The top court further directed the Principal Secretary of Uttar Pradesh’s Dharmarth Karya Vibhag and Mathura Police officials to meticulously comply with the committee’s instructions and recommendations issued from time to time.

“The Chairperson shall be the final authority on all matters regarding the committee’s functioning, including but not limited to its rules of procedure, scheduling of meetings, and other ancillary matters,” it said.

The Chairperson will receive a monthly honorarium of Rs 2 lakh from the temple fund, and retired district judge Mukesh Mishra will receive a monthly honorarium of Rs. 1 lakh from the temple fund.

The district administration has been directed to promptly provide suitable office space in Mathura for the high-powered management committee, free of charge.

On the constitutional challenge to the Uttar Pradesh government’s Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025, the Supreme Court declined to entertain the petitions filed directly before it and directed the petitioners to approach the Allahabad High Court.

Until the validity of the Ordinance is adjudicated, the Justice Kant-led Bench stayed its provisions that empower the state government to constitute a trust for managing the temple’s affairs.

“The constitution of the Shree Bankey Bihar Ji Temple Trust, as defined in Section 3 of the Ordinance and its composition, as contained in Section 5, shall be kept in abeyance till the question of validity of the Ordinance (or any Act in relation thereto subsequently passed by the State Legislature), is finally resolved by the Allahabad High Court,” it said.

The Supreme Court clarified that it had not examined the constitutionality of the impugned Ordinance, leaving all issues open for the Allahabad High Court’s consideration. It requested the High Court to decide the controversy expeditiously and preferably within a year of fresh petitions being filed.

–IANS

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