The Allahabad High Court has scheduled a hearing for January 17, 2025, for a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by former Union Minister Subramanian Swamy. The PIL contests the Uttar Pradesh government’s authority over the management and administration of certain temples and their religious festivals.
The hearing, set by a two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Vikas Budhwar, will address Swamy’s challenge against the government orders issued in 2017 that authorized state control over the festivals and management of specific temples.
According to the PIL, a notification dated September 18, 2017, and a subsequent government order on November 3, 2017, have allegedly infringed upon constitutional rights, particularly violating Articles 14 (Equality before Law), 25 (Freedom of Religion), and 31-A (Saving of Laws providing for acquisition of estates, etc.). Swamy’s petition asserts that these government actions are arbitrary, unconstitutional, and illegally interfere with the management and religious functions of the temples.
The temples affected by these orders include prominent religious sites such as Lalita Devi Shakti Peeth, Vindhyawasni Shakti Peeth, Maa Pateshwari Peeth in Devipatan, Shakumbhari Mata Mandir in Saharanpur, and Naimisharanyam in Sitapur.
