Supreme Court orders every Banke Bihari Temple donation to reach treasury

The Supreme Court directed that every donation at the Shri Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan must reach donation boxes or the online temple treasury. The order followed allegations that sevayats were collecting offerings directly from devotees and diverting donations

New Delhi: Taking a strong view of allegations of siphoning of donations at the Shri Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that every penny donated must land in donation boxes or online into the temple treasury.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana took note of submissions by senior advocate Maninder Singh, who submitted a status report by the high-powered committee overseeing the functioning of the temple.

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Singh placed on record photographs and said there are very serious issues and there is urgency in this.

He alleged that sevayats’ bhandaris (treasurers) were collecting offerings directly from devotees.

“There is a video. Three people are standing in front of ‘golak’ (traditional donation box), collecting the money from the devotees and putting it in their polythene bags,” he said.

The report submitted by the committee alleged that QR codes placed for online donations had been destroyed or fully covered, preventing devotees from seeing or accessing them.

Singh submitted that the committee was being accused of misusing funds even though offerings were allegedly being diverted before they reached the temple treasury.

Justice Bagchi orally observed that a priest cannot have a garnishing right over the devotees’ donations.

Taking a strong view of the submission, the bench said, “Let there be no doubts and we accordingly direct that every penny of donation must come to the donation boxes or online temple treasury and any impediment created by ‘sevayats’ or anyone else shall be viewed very seriously. The management committee to introduce transparent mechanism for the temple treasury.” The bench was dealing with pleas by the management committee of Thakur Shree Bankey Bihari Ji Maharaj Temple.

During the hearing, senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for ‘sevayats’ (priests), raised concerns over the alleged use of temple funds by the managing committee for purchasing properties.

The top court gave parties one week to file their responses and objections to the status report filed by the committee.

The apex court had earlier directed the Uttar Pradesh government to prepare a comprehensive development plan, including widening of roads and other facilities for senior citizens, women, children and ailing devotees of the temple.

The matter assumes significance against the backdrop of ongoing litigation over the Uttar Pradesh Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025, which sought to replace the existing management structure with a State-controlled trust.

Earlier, while hearing the challenge to the ordinance, the apex court had stayed parts of the law and constituted a 12-member high-powered committee headed by retired Allahabad High Court judge Ashok Kumar to oversee the temple’s day-to-day administration.

On April 13, the top court had clarified that the committee was not inclined to make “any structural changes” to the existing religious practice arrangements at the temple.