Banke Bihari Temple: Supreme Court stays Allahabad High Court order, questions ‘intemperate’ language

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi perused the orders passed by a single bench of the Allahabad High Court on July 21 and August 6 on a PIL challenging the Uttar Pradesh Shri Banke Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025 and stayed the observations made in them.

Lucknow: The Supreme Court on Friday expressed displeasure over the orders passed by the Allahabad High Court on a PIL related to the historic Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan. The apex court also raised questions on the use of "intemperate language" against the Uttar Pradesh government.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi perused the orders passed by a single bench of the Allahabad High Court on July 21 and August 6 on a PIL challenging the Uttar Pradesh Shri Banke Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, 2025 and stayed the observations made in them.

Additional Solicitor General Said

Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, appearing for the Uttar Pradesh government, told the bench that the High Court had conducted parallel proceedings on the issue and made some inappropriate observations in the order. The bench said, what kind of intemperate language is the High Court using? As if the state has committed a sin by passing the ordinance. What is all this? Was the high court not informed that the Supreme Court was considering the matter?

Justice Kant further said that petitions challenging the constitutional validity of a law are always listed before a division bench but in the present case, the order was passed by a single judge. The bench stayed the observations made in the July 21 order, which also appointed an amicus curiae, besides the August 6 order containing observations against the state.

The apex court also stayed further proceedings in the high court on the petition challenging the ordinance.