On August 8, 2025,the Supreme Court constituted a high-powered committee to manage the day-to-day functioning of the historic Thakur Shree Bankey Bihari Ji Maharaj Temple at Vrindavan, Mathura, pending adjudication of challenges to the Uttar Pradesh Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025 before the Allahabad High Court.
A Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi appointed Justice (Retd.) Ashok Kumar, former judge of the Allahabad High Court, as Chairperson of the Committee. The Court observed that the step was necessary to address “serious deficiencies” in crowd management, basic amenities, and developmental planning at the temple, noting that administrative deadlock and internal disputes had worsened conditions for lakhs of pilgrims, despite donations to the temple “running into hundreds of crores.”
Committee Composition:
• Chairperson: Justice (Retd.) Ashok Kumar, former Allahabad High Court judge.
• Members: Retired District & Sessions Judge Mukesh Mishra; District & Sessions Judge of Mathura; Munsif/Civil Judge of Mathura; District Magistrate, Mathura (also Member Secretary); Senior Superintendent of Police, Mathura; Municipal Commissioner, Mathura; Vice-Chairman, Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority; representative from the Archaeological Survey of India; a renowned architect; and two representatives each from the temple’s two Goswami groups.
Mandate:
1. Amenities and Facilities: Ensure clean drinking water, functional washrooms, adequate shelter, dedicated crowd corridors, and special facilities for elderly, women, and disabled devotees.
2. Crowd Management & Safety: Implement strict crowd control measures during peak days, including Janmashtami, with safety protocols to prevent stampedes.
3. Holistic Development Planning: Prepare a comprehensive development plan for the temple and its surroundings, with power to recommend land acquisition if required for widening access, improving circulation, or adding public amenities.
4. Oversight: Supervise and manage daily temple operations until further orders of the Court, ensuring transparency in the utilisation of funds.
Additional Directions:
1. Honorarium and Facilities – Chairperson: ?2,00,000 per month from the Temple Fund, along with secretarial assistance and transportation.
2. Honorarium – Member: ?1,00,000 per month to Shri Mukesh Mishra from the Temple Fund.
3. Office Premises: District Administration, Mathura, to provide suitable office space in Mathura without any charge.
4. Administrative Compliance: The Deputy District Commissioner, Senior Superintendent of Police, and Principal Secretary, Dharmarth Karya Vibhag, Uttar Pradesh, to comply meticulously with the Chairperson’s directions.
5. Land Acquisition: The Committee may negotiate private purchase of land; failing that, the State shall acquire it in accordance with law.
6. Restriction on Goswami Involvement: Except for the four Goswami representatives in the Committee, no other Goswami or sevyat shall interfere in temple management, save for performing puja/sewa and offering prasad.
7. Stakeholder Suggestions: Petitioners, applicants, and intervenors may submit recommendations to the Committee, which shall decide after due consideration.
8. Final Authority: The Chairperson shall be the final authority on all matters concerning the Committee’s functioning, including Rules of Procedure, meeting schedules, and ancillary issues.
Orders on the Ordinance:
The Court stayed the operation of the Ordinance only to the extent that it empowered the State to constitute the statutory temple trust under Sections 3 and 5, directing that the constitution of the trust remain in abeyance until the High Court decides the matter. Petitioners and affected parties were relegated to the High Court, which was requested to decide the constitutional challenge within one year.
Other Directions:
The Court stayed the operation of a July 21, 2025 single-judge Allahabad High Court order questioning the State’s competence to issue the Ordinance, directing that such matters be heard by a Division Bench.
