Taking on corrupt practices at the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan, the high-powered committee, constituted on Supreme Court orders, has asked the goswamis/sevayats (priests) to disclose within three days the names of ‘sewaks’ deployed by them at the temple and restrict their number to one or two.
The committee objected to the practice of 10 to 15 outsiders deployed as ‘sewaks’ (servants) by goswami/sevayats, who are on duty at the Banke Bihari temple on a daily rotational basis.
The committee expressed this view at its meeting at the temple premises on Saturday. Justice (retired) Ashok Kumar chaired the meeting.
The committee observed that these ‘sewaks’ get involved in extorting money from devotees looking for early and priority ‘darshan’ and pose hurdles for common devotees.
‘There shall be a total ban on this practice. All goswami/sevayats will have to disclose as to who are associated with them as sewaks, whose number should be one or two only. Compliance of this be done within two to three days,” the committee stated in a press statement issued after the meeting.
Justice (retired) Ashok Kumar, along with committee members, visited the lanes around the temple and checked the route taken by devotees at different points. The chairman highlighted the need for an effective action plan to regulate the flow of devotees at the temple.
{{/usCountry}}Justice (retired) Ashok Kumar, along with committee members, visited the lanes around the temple and checked the route taken by devotees at different points. The chairman highlighted the need for an effective action plan to regulate the flow of devotees at the temple.
{{/usCountry}}The committee called for a new system for devotees’ entry at gates 2 and 3. These gates will now have three separate queues each, a total of six, to regulate the flow of the massive crowds.
After darshan, the devotees will move towards exit gates in six queues.
The committee called for reinforcing the rule for separate reserved darshan areas for men and women in an upper floor gallery, instructing the temple management, district police and the administration to ensure compliance.
Earlier on Thursday evening, the committee had directed a special audit of the Banke Bihari temple’s movable and immovable assets covering a three-year period (2013-16), opening of a long-sealed room in the basement of the temple in Vrindavan and an end to the practice of VIP parchis for darshan.
The high-powered management committee for the Banke Bihari temple was constituted by the Supreme Court in August. The committee was formed to address long-standing issues surrounding the temple’s administration and management.
The Saturday’s meeting was also attended by committee members, including retired district and sessions judge Mukesh Mishra, the incumbent Mathura district and sessions judge Vikas Kumar, Mathura district magistrate CP Singh and representatives of the Goswami community.
VIP parchi, not protocol, banned, says committee chairman
High-powered committee chairman Justice (retired) Ashok Kumar specified that the illegal practice of VIP parchis (slips) has been banned but not the VIP protocol provided to guests visiting the temple.
“What has been banned is VIP parchi (slips), not VIP protocol at Banke Bihari Temple. We came across this illegal practice of VIP parchis, of which 1000 to 1200 were issued daily. This practice may have taken root because of erroneous policies of previous committees managing affairs at the temple but now will be banned completely,” the chairman said.
“To add to the woes of common devotees, colour photocopies were made of these VIP parchis and multiple devotees were allowed to have priority darshan on one VIP parchi. As such many devotees became VIP at the cost of the common devotee not opting for the VIP parchi,” he said.