Overview
- The petition was withdrawn after the Supreme Court signaled it would not entertain it, with liberty granted to file a representation before temple and government authorities.
- Chief Justice Surya Kant, sitting with Justices R Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi, said courts should not decide who may enter a temple’s sanctum sanctorum.
- The bench cautioned that enforcing Article 14 inside the sanctum could prompt claims of other fundamental rights, underscoring limits on judicial intervention.
- The Madhya Pradesh High Court’s August 28, 2025 ruling remains in effect, treating access decisions as administrative discretion and noting that ‘VIP’ is not defined in law.
- The challenge cited RTI-obtained 2023 committee resolutions allowing State Guests, VIPs and VVIPs into the garbhagriha with approval from the district collector or committee chairman.