The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that every donation made at the Shri Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan must be deposited directly into donation boxes or transferred online to the temple treasury.
The direction came after allegations that offerings made by devotees were being siphoned off.
The court also ordered the temple management committee to establish a transparent mechanism for handling the temple treasury and warned that any obstruction by sevayats or anyone else would be viewed seriously.
The development comes after a significant donation embezzlement scandal at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, where allegations of theft involving cash, gold, silver and jewellery offered by devotees had led to arrests and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe.
What Supreme Court Said
A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana took note of submissions made by senior advocate Maninder Singh.
Singh placed before the court a status report prepared by the high-powered committee overseeing the functioning of the Shri Bankey Bihari Temple. He also submitted photographs and said there were “very serious issues” requiring urgent attention.
“There is a video. Three people are standing in front of ‘golak’ (traditional donation box) collecting the money from the devotees and putting it in their polythene bags,” Singh told the bench.
Taking a strong view of the allegations, the Supreme Court directed that all donations must reach the temple through the designated channels.
“Let there be no doubts and we accordingly direct that every penny of donation must come to the donation boxes or online temple treasury,” the bench said.
It added that any impediment created by sevayats or anyone else would be viewed very seriously.
The court further directed the management committee to introduce a transparent mechanism for the temple treasury.
The bench was hearing pleas filed by the management committee of Thakur Shree Bankey Bihari ji Maharaj Temple.
Ram Mandir Donation Theft Case
The Supreme Court’s direction comes against the backdrop of allegations of donation theft at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
An SIT investigation later found that six employees involved in the donation-counting process had allegedly siphoned off an estimated Rs 2–3 crore over time. Investigators said the alleged theft was made possible by gaps in surveillance and weak security protocols.
Based on bank records, investigators estimated that Rs 6–8 lakh could have been siphoned off every day before the alleged theft came to light.
Trust officials uncovered the alleged racket after discrepancies were found in cash deposits. They subsequently installed hidden CCTV cameras to monitor the activities of staff over a period of one week.
The investigation led to multiple arrests and an SIT probe into the alleged embezzlement of temple donations.
According to reports quoting temple officials, the trust had received Rs 5.82 billion ($61 million) from devotees until March 31, 2026. It had spent Rs 3.19 billion ($33.48 million) on the upkeep of the shrine.
