The Supreme Court will hear on August 19 a petition filed by the sevayat of Maa Chandi Devi temple in Haridwar, challenging the Uttarakhand High Court’s order directing the Badri Kedar Temple Committee to appoint a receiver.
The Supreme Court is set to hear a petition on August 19 filed by the sevayat of the Maa Chandi Devi temple in Haridwar.
This plea seeks to suspend an order from the Uttarakhand High Court that directed the Badri Kedar Temple Committee to appoint a receiver to oversee the temple’s management.
A sevayat refers to a priest who is actively involved in the daily rituals and administration of a temple.
A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and S.V.N. Bhatti, On July 28, issued a notice to the Uttarakhand government, requesting a response within two weeks.
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Previously, the Supreme Court mentioned that any actions taken by the Badri Kedar Temple Committee would depend on the outcome of this petition.
Mahant Bhawani Nandan Giri, the petitioner represented by advocate Ashwani Dubey, argues that the Uttarakhand High Court delegated control of the temple to a committee without any evidence or complaints, despite the existence of a panel established by the court in 2012, which includes the district magistrate (DM) and the senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Haridwar.
The petitioner also contends that the directive to appoint a receiver was issued during a hearing for an anticipatory bail plea related to a criminal case.
The Maa Chandi Devi temple was established in the 8th century by Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankaracharya, and it is claimed that the petitioner’s ancestors have been managing it as sevayat since then.
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The plea emphasizes that no complaints or issues of mismanagement or misappropriation have ever been raised by the panel of the DM and the SSP appointed by the high court.
The plea states,
“The high court passed directions which are arbitrary, illegal and perverse and outside the pleadings and without any specific relief, that too in violation of the principle of natural justice as the petitioner, who is the sevayat/chief trustee, was not heard,”
The petitioner further asserts that the high court failed to issue a notice before passing the contested directions and “erroneously” assigned temple management to the Badri Kedar Temple Committee, overlooking the diligent work of the panel comprised of the DM and the SSP.
This order was issued while the high court was addressing an anticipatory bail plea from Reena Bisht, who claims to be the live-in partner of Rohit Giri, the temple’s head priest.
Rohit Giri’s wife, Geetanjali, filed an FIR on May 21 against him, Bisht, and seven others, alleging that Bisht attempted to run over her son with a vehicle on May 14. Rohit Giri was arrested the same day by Punjab Police in a separate molestation case and is currently in judicial custody.
The high court noted that Rohit Giri was living with Bisht during ongoing divorce proceedings and that Bisht gave birth to their child in January.
It remarked,
“Trustees of the temple are creating a noxious atmosphere … and there is complete mismanagement in the trust. It cannot be ruled out that there may be misappropriation of donations.”
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