Overview
- A bench led by Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, which took up the case Monday, said it would not hear the plea under Article 32.
- The public interest case by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay sought a judicial commission or expert panel to review pay and benefits for priests, sevadars and temple staff in state-run temples.
- The Court permitted Upadhyay to withdraw the petition with liberty to pursue remedies before the appropriate authorities.
- The filing cited large protests in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over unpaid minimum wages and a 2025 Madurai circular restricting dakshina as signs of hardship for priests dependent on offerings.
- The petition argued that pervasive state control makes temple workers employees entitled to minimum wages under the Code on Wages and to dignity under Article 21, a theory now more likely to be tested before state endowments or high courts.