Overview
- The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed two nominees from each Goswami faction to formally advise the court-appointed committee that administers the Banke Bihari Temple.
- The bench said traditional rituals may be restored so long as there is no malpractice in the name of donations or creation of a privileged class of devotees.
- The court directed the Uttar Pradesh government and the committee to prepare and file a holistic development/master plan addressing road widening, land use, basic amenities and regulation of commercial activity near the temple.
- The Additional Solicitor General told the court a master plan is being prepared and about 14 sale deeds for land acquisition have been executed, with temple funds used so far and possible state reimbursement under consideration.
- The court warned conventional crowd control is inadequate for the temple’s narrow lanes and ordered deployment of modern, phased-entry technology to manage devotees and improve safety.