The Supreme Court on Monday observed that there were serious allegations against the High Powered Committee overseeing affairs of the Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan, while hearing pleas challenging changes to temple rituals, darshan timings, and restrictions imposed on traditional practices followed by temple Sevayats and Goswamis.

The Supreme Court had earlier issued notice in the writ petition on December 15, 2025, pursuant to which a status report was filed by the High Powered Committee. The petitioners subsequently filed a response to the status report, raising objections to several actions allegedly taken by the Committee.

The Court also issued notice in the miscellaneous application filed by the petitioners, which sought certain modifications and clarifications regarding orders passed by the Committee.

The challenge before the Court primarily concerns changes made to the darshan timings of the temple and the alleged interference with essential religious practices, including the discontinuation of the traditional “Dehri Pooja” ritual. According to the petitioners, the Banke Bihari Temple has historically followed distinct seasonal schedules for darshan during summer and winter, closely linked with rituals concerning the waking and resting of the deity.

The petitioners argued that office memoranda issued in September 2025 altered the long-standing darshan timings and disrupted the temple’s religious traditions. It was contended that the temple follows a unique religious system where morning and evening darshan timings are deeply rooted in custom, tradition, and spiritual purpose.

The plea also challenged the discontinuation of “Dehri Pooja,” a ritual allegedly performed exclusively by Goswamis as part of the Guru-Shishya parampara. The petitioners submitted that the suspension of the ritual on grounds of crowd management was unjustified since the pooja is conducted when the temple remains closed to the public and only at a limited designated space.

Further objections were raised regarding what the petitioners described as expansive interpretation of powers by the High Powered Committee, including imposition of charges upon Sevayat Goswamis for services such as “Phool Bangla Seva.”

After hearing the parties, the Bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed that both the writ petition and the miscellaneous application be heard together on May 26, 2026 and remarked that there are some serious allegations against the committee which the court will be examining.

Appearances

For Petitioner- Mr. Shyam Divan, Sr. Adv. Ms. Tanvi Dubey, AOR Mr. Yash Dubey, Adv. Mr. Rongon Choudhary, Adv. Mr. Vansh Chouhan, Adv. Mr. Mekala Ganesh Kumar Reddy, Adv. Mr. Mohit Upadhyay, Adv.

For Respondent- Mr. K M Nataraj, A.S.G. Mr. Sharan Dev Singh Thakur, Sr. A.A.G. Ms. Ruchira Goel, AOR Mr. Siddharth Thakur, Adv. Ms. Indira Bhakar, Adv. Mr. Shantanu Sinha, Adv. Ms. Ritika Rao, Adv. Ms. Rishika Rishabh, Adv. Mr. Ravi Sehgal, Adv. Ms. Ayushi Srivastava, Adv. Mr. Narendra Kumar Goswami, Adv. Ms. Shivani, Adv. Ms. Shilpi Chowdhary, AOR Mr. Amarkant Patel, Adv. Mr. Sanjay Singh, Adv. Mr. Rohit Yadav, Adv. Mr. Shivansh Bharatkumar Pandya, AOR