A Supreme Court-appointed committee has defended sweeping reforms at the Bankey Bihari temple in Mathura, India, aimed at ensuring safety, fairness, and orderly access for devotees.
The reforms, which include the discontinuation of VIP darshan slips and a restructuring of temple timings, were implemented to address mounting safety concerns, particularly after a 2022 stampede at the temple.
The committee, led by former Allahabad High Court judge Justice Ashok Kumar, has clarified that the removal of VIP access was a unanimous decision aimed at ending preferential access and ensuring equitable access to the deity.
The committee has also revised the temple's darshan schedule, advancing opening hours and extending public access windows in both summer and winter, to distribute the crowd more evenly across the day.
The reforms have been met with resistance from some petitioners, who have raised concerns about the alleged discontinuation of dehri pooja and the selection of Goswami representatives.
However, the committee has firmly rebutted these concerns, stating that the ritual has not been stopped but has instead been relocated to a different area near the sanctum, and that the selection process was transparent and inclusive.
