New Delhi [India], August 20 : The Supreme Court has directed the District Collector of Haridwar to conduct a personal inquiry into the management of the Maa Chandi Devi Temple Trust, Haridwar.
A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and SVN Bhatti, asking the District Collector to conduct a fresh inquiry, directed him to recommend a suitable interim management structure in a report to be submitted to the High Court, which shall then take a final call on the permanent management of the temple trust.
It, however, also refrained from disturbing the interim arrangement put in place by the Uttarakhand High Court by which the management of the trust was directed to be under the supervision of the Badarinath Kedarnath Temple Committe (BKTC).
It asked the District Collector to submit the report within six weeks.
The bench also asked the High Court to adjourn the matter for six weeks, implead intervenors, and prioritise final adjudication, and until the Collector's report is reviewed, the High Court's earlier order placing the temple under BKTC supervision will remain in force.
The apex court said the District Collector of Haridwar will hold a personal inquiry into the functioning and management of the Math, and must hear all stakeholders, including intervenors like BKTC and Rohit Giri, and may involve other relevant parties.
It ordered, "He (Collector) would take into consideration the overall situation and is also free to involve in the investigation other parties, which may not be presently before us so as to get an overall and more broad-based response with regard to the actual situation on the ground and then, he is also at liberty to suggest what should be the interim arrangement with regard to managing of the affairs of the Math, till the matter is finally decided by the High Court. He shall focus on the best interest for the Math and its devotees. The report shall be submitted to the High Court in the pending proceeding."
"As we have been informed that the matter is listed for August 20, 2025, the parties shall bring to the notice of the court the present order and the High Court is requested to adjourn the matter by six weeks to await the report of the Collector. The High Court is further requested to implead person(s), who may not be the party before the High Court and have been heard in the present matter. The High Court is further requested to take up the matter on priority and finally, decide the issue so that a permanent/regular arrangement is put into place rather than an ad hoc arrangement."
"In terms of direction in the impugned order with regard to the interim arrangement, senior counsel for the BKTC has informed this court that the BKTC has already started supervising the affairs of the Math in question. It shall also submit an up-to-date report to the High Court on the adjourned date and shall keep on submitting periodic updated reports to the High Court in the matter," the order of the top court stated.
Accordingly, the apex court has disposed of the matter before it by remanding it back to the High Court without disturbing the interim arrangement.
The apex court also said it will not go into the criminal matter as it is not an issue involved before the top court.
Mahant Bhawani Nandan Giri had approached the apex court challenging a June 25, 2025, order of the Uttarakhand High Court, which, citing irregularities, permitted the existing trust to continue functioning only under the direct supervision of the BKTC.
The High Court had also directed the appointment of a Receiver and restrained both the petitioner and the complainant from interfering in the temple's daily affairs.
The High Court had taken suo motu cognisance of mismanagement in the temple trust while hearing a criminal case of Mahant Rohit Giri, the head priest of the temple.
The High Court had observed that it would be improper to entrust the management of the temple trust to Giri, who was also facing molestation charges.
Hence, as an interim measure, the High Court ordered the trust to be put under BKTC's supervision.
Thereafter, Giri filed the petition before the top court against the High Court order only with regard to the interim arrangement of managing the affairs of the Math.