New Delhi: The Supreme Court is slated to hear on August 19 a plea filed by the “sevayat” of the Maa Chandi Devi temple in Haridwar, seeking a stay on an order of the Uttarakhand High Court directing the Badri Kedar Temple Committee to appoint a receiver for overseeing the shrine’s management.
A “sevayat” is a priest actively involved in the daily rituals and management of a temple.
A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and S V N Bhatti issued a notice to the Uttarakhand government in the matter on July 28 and sought a reply within two weeks.
The top court had earlier said any decision taken by the Badri Kedar Temple Committee would be subject to the outcome of the petition.
The plea of Mahant Bhawani Nandan Giri, filed in the top court through advocate Ashwani Dubey, has contended that the Uttarakhand High Court had, without any evidence and complaint, delegated the control of the temple to a committee despite there being a panel consisting of the district magistrate (DM) and senior superintendent of police of Haridwar that was constituted by it in 2012.
The petitioner has also argued that the direction to appoint the receiver was passed during an anticipatory bail plea hearing of an accused in a criminal matter.
The Maa Chandi Devi temple was founded in the 8th century by Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankaracharya and since, it is stated that the petitioner’s ancestors have been managing and looking after it as “sevayat”.
There is neither a single complaint nor the question of mismanagement or misappropriation has ever been flagged by the committee consisting of the DM and the SSP appointed by the high court, the plea has said.
“The high court passed directions which are arbitrary, illegal and perverse and outside the pleadings and without any specific relief, that too in violation of the principle of natural justice as the petitioner, who is the sevayat/chief trustee, was not heard,” the plea has said.
The petitioner has further said the high court did not issue a notice and passed the impugned directions.
The plea has said the high court “erroneously” entrusted the work of the temple to the Badri Kedar Temple Committee, without appreciating that the panel consisting of the DM and the SSP was working diligently.
The high court passed the order while hearing an anticipatory bail plea filed by one Reena Bisht, claiming to be the live-in partner of Rohit Giri, the head priest of the temple.
Rohit Giri’s wife, Geetanjali, got an FIR lodged on May 21 against her husband, Bisht and seven others, alleging that the woman attempted to run over her son with a vehicle on May 14.
On the same day, Rohit Giri was arrested by the Punjab Police in a separate molestation case and is currently in judicial custody.
The high court had observed that Rohit Giri was living with Bisht when his divorce proceedings were pending and Bisht gave birth to their child in January.
“Trustees of the temple are creating a noxious atmosphere … and there is complete mismanagement in the trust. It cannot be ruled out that there may be misappropriation of donations,” it had said.
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