The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain a plea challenging the ‘VIP’ darshan’ facility across temples in India even as it disapproved of such preferential treatment and left the matter for government authorities to examine.
A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and justice Sanjay Kumar made the remarks while hearing a writ petition seeking the abolition of VIP darshan fees charged by temples across the country.
“While we may be of the opinion that no special treatment should be given regarding temple entry, we do not find this a fit case to exercise jurisdiction under Article 32. However, the dismissal of this petition does not bar the appropriate authorities from taking action as required,” stated the bench in its order.
The development came amid heightened concerns over crowd management in religious gatherings, especially after the recent stampede at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj that claimed at least 30 lives and left 60 injured. In response, the Uttar Pradesh government has revoked all VIP passes and entries to religious events to prevent further mishaps.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel urged the states to establish a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for managing temple darshans, arguing that granting special access to a privileged few was arbitrary and violated the principle of equality. The counsel linked such practices to stampede incidents, citing religious tourism as a significant contributor to such disasters.