SC expresses unhappiness over 'special pujas' for affluent disrupting resting time of deity

The Supreme Court on Monday voiced concern over the practice of allowing paid “special pujas” in temples, observing that such activities interfere with the “resting time” of deities.

- MPOST BUREAU

The remark came while the court was hearing a plea challenging recent alterations to darshan schedules and internal religious practices at the Bankey Bihari Ji Temple in Vrindavan.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pamcholi issued notices to the Supreme Court-appointed high-powered temple management committee as well as the Uttar Pradesh government. The matter has been slated for further consideration in the first week of January.

The petitioners, represented by senior advocate Shyam Divan and lawyer Tanvi Dubey, questioned changes in the temple’s darshan timings and the suspension of several longstanding rituals, including the Dehri Pooja. Divan told the bench that the public timings for darshan form an integral part of the temple’s tradition, stating that “these darshan timings are part of tradition and rituals” and that strict schedules have historically been followed.