AGRA The high-powered committee constituted for the management of Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan expressed its commitment to ensure compliance of the Supreme Court order on August 25 for the implementation of a transparent mechanism to prevent any pilferage in offerings made by devotees coming to the temple.
The apex court had directed that every penny donated at the temple must first go to the deity’s funds, saying no person associated with the temple can appropriate offerings before they are deposited into the temple treasury. Hearing a matter concerning alleged siphoning of donations at the temple, the court directed the committee overseeing its functioning to put in place a transparent mechanism to ensure that offerings made by devotees are properly accounted for. The high-powered committee for the Banke Bihari temple was constituted by the Supreme Court in August 2025 to address long-standing issues surrounding the temple’s administration and management.
“All steps will be taken to counter any irregularities related to offerings and a proposal was discussed to limit the number of ‘bhandaris’ (those who receive offerings made by devotees to the deity),” said justice Ashok Kumar (retired), former judge of Allahabad high court and chairman of the committee, who presided over the panel’s 19th meeting on Tuesday evening.
