“Priests and temple staff are not getting even the minimum wage prescribed by the State for unskilled and semi-skilled workers. This is a systemic exploitation”: The petition
NEW DELHI: A public interest litigation has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Centre and state governments to constitute a judicial commission or expert committee to review wages and benefits of priests, sevadars and temple staff in state-controlled temples.
The petition, filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, also sought a declaration that priests and temple staff be treated as “employee” under Section 2(k) of the Code on Wages, 2019.
The plea stated, “Petitioner also seeks a declaration that priests and temple staff are 'employee' under Section 2(k) of the Code on Wages, 2019. Petitioner submits that once the State assumes the administrative, economic and financial control over temples, an employer-employee relationship arises and denial of dignified wages to priests and temple staff violates the right to livelihood guaranteed under Article 21.”
Upadhyay said the issue came to his notice after visiting the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi on April 4, where he claimed priests and staff were not receiving minimum wages.
The petition said, “Priests and temple staff are not getting even the minimum wage prescribed by the State for unskilled and semi-skilled workers. This is a systemic exploitation.”
It referred to protests by priests in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana demanding minimum wages and alleged that the state, while controlling temple administration, was violating provisions of the Minimum Wages Act and Directive Principles under Article 43.
The plea further said, “the continued refusal to minimum wages with the 2026 inflation-adjusted cost of living index has forced the petitioner to seek judicial intervention to prevent the further marginalisation of priests and temple staff.”
Citing an instance in Tamil Nadu, the petition referred to a circular issued on February 7, 2025 at the Dandayuthapani Swami Temple in Madurai restricting acceptance of ‘dakshina’.
“It is necessary to state that priests in such temples often receive no formal salary from the State and rely entirely on 'Dakshina'; the State's administrative order directly threatened them with starvation,” the plea said, adding that the order was later withdrawn.
The petition also sought alternative directions to the Centre and states to take steps for the welfare of priests and temple staff in line with earlier observations of the Allahabad High Court.
