On Wednesday, the Supreme Court refused to hear a plea contesting the practice of ‘VIP darshan’ in temples across India, browbeating such preferential treatment. The concerned government authorities are left with the issue to be dealt with.
This writ petition for the abolition of VIP darshan fees being levied by temples across the country was heard by a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar. The court, while agreeing with the petitioner that it was not an appropriate case to invoke limitations for Article 32 jurisdiction, deduced that it would not set aside the order of POTA proceeding in the larger interest of justice.
“While we might decide that no extra treatment should be granted for temple entry, we think this petition does not attract intervention under Article 32. The bench, however, did not rule out that appropriate action can be taken, if required, by the competent authorities.”
The decision follows a spate of deaths that followed a stampede during the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj last month that saw over 30 people lose their lives and left around 60 injured. In response to the incident, the Uttar Pradesh government has ordered all VIP passes given for visits to religious places and even for entrance at such venues to be revoked to ensure public safety and prevent further such incidents.
According to the petitioner’s counsel during the hearing, state governments should be persuaded to put in place a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for temple darshans, as it was arbitrary and in violation of the constitutional maxim of equality. In appealing to such practices, the counsel associated them with many instances of stampedes, asserting that activities of religious tourism are a determining factor in such accidents.
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