Breaking| "We Need To Examine": Supreme Court Adjourns PIL Against 'VIP Entry Charges' In Temples Across India

The Supreme Court today adjourned the hearing in a writ petition challenging the imposition of "VIP Entry Charges" at major temples across India.

The petition asserted that such fees might infringe upon the constitutional rights to equality, dignity, and religious freedom.

The Bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar said, "Re-list in the week commencing, 9th December 2024."

At the outset, the Counsel for the petitioner submitted, "This is a Writ Petition against imposition of VIP Entry Charges and..."

After some deliberation, Justice Khanna said, "We will have it on some other day. Let us first examine it. Relist...I just want to check up whether this issue has come up earlier, or is it in some judgment. Is there any judgment of the High Court also?"

To this the Counsel, submitted, "No, High Court. In fact, Madras High Court had dealt with this issue but did not go into the question of whether this is discriminatory, violative of Article 14."

The Court asked the Counsel to hand over the copy of the aforementioned judgment of the Madras High Court. "The reason why we discussed was that there are certain issues. There are certain writ petitions pending, taking the view that there should not be any state interference/control or court interference. We will have to examine," the Court said.

Accordingly, the Court scheduled the matter for hearing in the week commencing from December 9.

The PIL filed through AoR Sarthak Ghonkrokta contends that the practice of charging fees for expedited or preferential darshan of deities discriminates against economically disadvantaged devotees, violating Article 14 (Right to Equality) and Article 21 (Right to Dignity).

The petition argues that temples across the country are increasingly charging fees, ranging from Rs. 400 to Rs. 5000, to facilitate quicker access for those who can afford the charges, while ordinary devotees, often indigent and traveling long distances, face significant delays and often miss out on darshans altogether. The petitioner emphasizes that this practice establishes an unequal "VIP" class among devotees, creating intra- and inter-community discrimination and reinforcing economic barriers in religious worship.

Highlighting complaints of severe inconvenience faced by women, elderly citizens, and differently-abled individuals due to lengthy queues in contrast to paid expedited access, the petition seeks intervention to abolish the "VIP Entry Charges" across India’s temples. It also criticizes inaction by the Ministry of Home Affairs and various state governments, despite previous representations to resolve the issue. The petitioner claims that the Ministry's limited directive to Andhra Pradesh alone has been ineffective, while other states, such as Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh, have also refrained from addressing the problem.

"By this practice, a person paying the special entry charges in a temple acquires a VIP character, only by reason of having paid such amount. The present Writ Petition also seeks to apprise this Hon’ble Court of the massive, serious inconveniences, harassment and sufferings caused, every day, to lacs of devotees, including women, elderly and differently-abled citizens, seers and sages, who travel from far and wide across the country, to have darshans (views) and offer prayers in such temples and public places of sanctity, and who are then made to stand in long, almost unending queues, and made to remain waiting for hours, altogether, most often, completely depriving them of darshans and offer prayers," the PIL reads.

With a rising trend in religious tourism, the petition warns that unchecked "VIP darshan" practices pose a threat to equality and inclusivity in religious spaces, promoting a financially discriminatory environment. The petition urges the Court to direct uniform access for all classes of devotees in temples nationwide and to curb preferential treatment based solely on payment.

"Not only the Hindus but also a large number of Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs visit the big temples across the country. The practice of imposing ‘VIP Entry Charges’ is intra-community as well as inter-community discrimination. With the advent of increasing religious tourism and free movement of people, the imposition of ‘VIP Darshan Charges’ and the privileged, preferential treatment to a class/section of persons in the temples or other religious structures or public places of sanctity is a retrograde practice, promotes inequality and inequitability, and is completely antithetical to the basic tenets of the Constitution," the petition states.

The petitioner prays for the following:

1. Abolition of VIP Entry Fees: A directive to scrap all VIP entry charges and associated preferential treatments for financially able devotees.

2. Equal Access to Darshan: An order mandating equal treatment for all devotees, providing the same opportunities for darshan, irrespective of financial status.

3. Constitutional Review of VIP Fees: A judicial declaration that VIP entry fees violate the rights to equality and religious freedom.

4. Implementation of SOPs: Development of standardized procedures to ensure regulated, orderly, and unbiased access at all religious sites.

5. Formation of a National Oversight Board: Creation of a national board to oversee grievances related to temple management, ensuring transparency and equity.

Cause Title: Vijay Kishor Goswami v. Union of India & Ors. [W.P.(C) No. 700/2024; Diary No. 46170/2024]