Supreme Court on Banke Bihari Temple: Special Pujas for Affluent Amount to Exploiting the Deity

The Supreme Court criticised the practice of allowing special pujas and preferential darshan for affluent devotees at the Banke Bihari Temple, observing that such arrangements amount to “exploiting the deity.” The Court held that religious practices must uphold equality among devotees and cannot be commercialised in a manner that discriminates based on financial capacity. Addressing temple administration and crowd management, the Bench emphasised transparency and fairness in regulating darshan timings. The observations reinforce constitutional values of equality and prevent monetisation of faith at the cost of ordinary devotees.