- Supreme Court Constitutes High-Powered Committee to Oversee Banke Bihari Temple
- Management Recalls its earlier directive allowing funds from the temple treasury to be used for corridor development
2025.08.09 (Vrindavan Today News): Aimed at streamlining the management of the Thakur Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan, the Supreme Court of India has constituted a 13-member high-powered committee chaired by retired Allahabad High Court judge, Justice Ashok Kumar. The committee will remain in place until the Allahabad High Court rules on the constitutional validity of a state government ordinance concerning the temple’s management. The decision comes amidst longstanding administrative deadlocks and legal disputes surrounding the temple’s governance.
On 8th August, a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi heard petitions challenging the Uttar Pradesh government’s ordinance for creating a trust to manage the temple. The bench reserved its order until the next day. In its final order uploaded in the Supreme Court’s website, the court temporarily suspended those provisions of the ordinance granting the state government the authority to form a temple management trust, noting that the matter has to be decided by the Allahabad High Court first on the its constitutional validity. The apex court has directed the High Court to deliver its verdict within one year.
The newly formed interim panel will be responsible for the temple’s daily management and the broader development of its surrounding areas, pending a final decision by the Allahabad High Court on the constitutional validity of a state ordinance concerning the temple’s administration.
The committee, led by Justice Ashok Kumar, will include Retired District and Sessions Judge Mukesh Mishra The sitting District Judge of Mathura (ex officio) The Civil Judge of Mathura The District Magistrate (DM) The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), The Municipal Commissioner, The Vice-Chairman of the Mathura-Vrindavan Development Authority, One eminent architect, One representative from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Four sevayat Goswamis — specifically two from the temple’s Rajbhog Seva and two from the Shayanbhog Seva traditions
This new structure significantly increases representation for sevayat Goswamis compared to the ordinance on the government formed committee Uttar Pradesh Banke Bihari Mandir Nyas, which allotted space to only two sevayats in earlier 18-member Temple Trust.
The Supreme Court clarified that apart from these four designated sevayat members, no other sevayat will have any role in the temple’s management. Other sevayats will continue to perform religious duties such as worship and distribution of prasadam but will not be involved in administrative decision-making.
Suspension of Government-Formed Trust Committee
The development comes after the Supreme Court, on Friday, stayed the implementation of the Uttar Pradesh government’s Shri Banke Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025 and suspended the trust committee constituted under it. The bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi held that, pending judicial review, an interim management body was necessary to ensure order and continuity in temple affairs.
The Court has also transferred all petitions challenging the ordinance’s constitutional validity to the Allahabad High Court, directing it to deliver a decision within one year from the date of filing of the writ petitions.
Mandate and Powers of the Committee
The committee’s responsibilities will go beyond temple operations to encompass the overall development of the surrounding pilgrimage area. Its tasks include:
Preparing a comprehensive development plan for the temple and its surroundings
Approving land purchases for the proposed corridor project; if required, the state government may acquire land through legal procedures
Ensuring availability of drinking water, functional sanitation facilities, resting areas, shelter, and seating arrangements for pilgrims.
Providing special amenities for the elderly, women, children, and persons with disabilitiesAn office for the committee will be provided by the district administration.
Financial and Administrative Provisions
The court directed that the committee chairperson will receive a monthly honorarium of ₹2 lakh, along with transportation facilities, funded from the temple’s coffers. Retired Judge Mukesh Mishra will receive ₹1 lakh per month.
The Supreme Court also revoked its earlier directive allowing funds from the temple treasury to be used for corridor development. Instead, all development will proceed under the new committee’s supervision.
Court’s Observations on Administrative Failures
Expressing concern over the state of affairs, the Court noted that “past administrative deadlocks and internal disputes have aggravated the temple’s problems, causing great inconvenience to devotees and pilgrims.” Despite receiving donations worth crores of rupees, successive management bodies had “failed to take concrete steps” to provide essential facilities to the vast number of visitors.
The Court also observed that the Goswami sebayat factions have been embroiled in prolonged litigation in civil courts, further contributing to administrative paralysis. The bench emphasized that the committee was being formed precisely to address such governance failures.
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