SC Refuses to Entertain Plea against VIP Darshan at Mahakal Temple
The petition challenged a Madhya Pradesh High Court order that had previously dismissed objections to the preferential treatment given to VIPs for offering water to the deity
By : PTI
Update: 2026-01-27 07:54 GMT
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a petition challenging the practice of 'VIP darshan' and preferential entry into the sanctum sanctorum of the Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, saying the regulation of religious rituals and entry is not a "justiciable" matter.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices R Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi, however, asked lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing petitioner Darpan Awasthi, to make a representation to the authority in this regard.
As the bench was not inclined to entertain the plea, Jain sought permission to withdraw it with the liberty to make a representation to the authorities in this regard.
The petition challenged a Madhya Pradesh High Court order that had previously dismissed objections to the preferential treatment given to VIPs for offering water to the deity.
Jain said so far as the entry in the sanctum sanctorum is concerned, every citizen should be treated equally. The CJI said there were limits to judicial intervention in temple management and it is for the people, who are at the helm, to decide such issues.
"Whether the VIP entry should be allowed or should not be, it is not for the court to decide. We are on the question of justiciability," he said.
The CJI said applying fundamental rights strictly within the sanctum sanctorum could lead to unintended consequences.
"If we hold that Article 14 (Right to Equality) applies inside the sanctum sanctorum, then people will claim other rights such as Article 19 (Freedom of Speech) as well. First, you say I have a right to enter because someone else is entering; then you will say I have the right to chant mantras here because I have the right to speech. All fundamental rights will then be claimed inside the sanctum sanctorum," the CJI said.
Jain said citizens cannot be discriminated against on the basis of VIP status.
"If a person is entering the 'garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum), it is often because of a recommendation from a collector. A regular devotee should have the same right to offer water to the deity," Jain submitted.
He argued there should either be a complete prohibition on entry for everyone or equal access for all.
The matter reached the apex court following a dismissal by the high court which had said "VIP" is not defined in any Act or rule and is instead a matter of administrative discretion exercised by the Temple Management Committee and the collector.