‘Better administration’, says UP as Supreme Court questions haste behind Banke Bihari Temple ordinance

The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday defended its recent ordinance on the management of the Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan, telling the Supreme Court that the move was aimed solely at improving the administration of the religious site, which draws lakhs of devotees every week.

“The ordinance has nothing to do with the pending writ petition,” Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj told a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi. “There was a PIL filed for better administration of the temple before the high court and directions were passed.”

The state’s response came after the Supreme Court, on August 4, sharply criticised the manner in which the ordinance was brought, without hearing all stakeholders, and questioned the urgency shown by the government. The court had said it would keep in abeyance its earlier nod, granted on May 15, for the development of the temple corridor, pending a full hearing.


During Tuesday’s hearing, the state handed over its proposal for temple administration to the court. The bench noted that the plan appeared to be the same as the one it had suggested on August 4.

While Nataraj clarified that the 2025 ordinance was not connected to ongoing litigation over temple ownership, the bench said those arguments would be more appropriately addressed if the challenge to the ordinance is taken up in the high court. “Your arguments may be good, but can be made when the challenge to the ordinance is relegated to the high court,” the bench remarked.

The ordinance has been challenged by the temple’s existing management committee, which has questioned the legality of the state taking over the shrine’s administration. The plea also seeks a recall of the May 15 order that permitted the state to move ahead with its development plan.

That order had allowed the Uttar Pradesh government to use temple funds to buy five acres of land near the temple for creating a holding area. However, the top court had made it clear that the land must be acquired in the name of the deity or the trust, not the state.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioners, requested time to present suggestions on the administration of the temple. The bench agreed and posted the matter for further hearing on August 8.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court reiterated that it was not currently ruling on the constitutionality of the ordinance. “Let the high court look into it,” the bench said, adding that it was considering appointing an interim committee, possibly led by a retired judge, to oversee the temple's management in the interest of devotees.

The plea before the court, filed by advocate Tanvi Dubey on behalf of the temple’s management committee, opposes the Uttar Pradesh Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025, under which the state assumes control over the administration of one of Mathura’s most iconic temples.

(With inputs from PTI)