The Supreme Court has directed the Uttarakhand High Court to decide the plea of a sevayat (temple priest responsible for daily rituals and management) of the Maa Chandi Devi Temple in Haridwar, challenging an order that entrusted the Badri Kedar Temple Committee with appointing a receiver to oversee the temple’s administration.
A Bench comprising Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Justice S.V.N. Bhatti instructed the District Magistrate (DM) of Haridwar to submit a factual report before the High Court regarding any alleged mismanagement in the temple’s functioning. The top court, while disposing of the plea, deferred the proceedings by six weeks and directed the High Court to consider the matter after examining the DM’s report.
The petitioner, Mahant Bhawani Nandan Giri, approached the apex court through advocate Ashwani Dubey, contending that the High Court acted without any complaint or supporting material by transferring control of the temple to the committee. It was further argued that since 2012, a panel comprising the DM and the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Haridwar had already been entrusted with oversight responsibilities, and no instance of mismanagement had been reported.
The plea also highlighted that the High Court issued directions to appoint a receiver during the hearing of an anticipatory bail plea of an accused in an unrelated criminal matter. The petitioner maintained that such directions were passed in violation of principles of natural justice, as neither notice was served upon him nor was he given an opportunity to be heard despite being the chief trustee and hereditary sevayat of the temple.
Tracing the temple’s heritage, the plea submitted that the Maa Chandi Devi Temple was established in the 8th century by Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya, and since then, the petitioner’s family had managed it as sevayats.
The background of the case reveals that the High Court issued the order while hearing the anticipatory bail plea of one Reena Bisht, who claimed to be the live-in partner of Rohit Giri, the head priest of the temple. An FIR had been lodged by Giri’s wife, Geetanjali, alleging that Bisht attempted to run over her son with a vehicle. On the same day, Rohit Giri was arrested in a separate molestation case by Punjab Police and remains in judicial custody.
In its observations, the High Court noted that trustees of the temple were “creating a noxious atmosphere” and found indications of complete mismanagement, remarking that misappropriation of donations could not be ruled out.
The Apex Court, however, left it to the Uttarakhand High Court to determine the issue after receiving the DM’s report, stressing that proper judicial consideration was necessary before altering the temple’s management structure.
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