NEW DELHI,27 Jan 2026 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday (January 27, 2026) did not entertain a petition against the practice of ‘VIP darshan’ permitted at the famed Shri Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain, saying the court is not meant to play the role of gatekeeper to who enters a temple and when.
“In the presence of Mahakal [the deity], nobody is a VIP,” Chief Justice of India Surya Kant addressed advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, the counsel for the petitioner, Darpan Awasthi. Mr. Jain argued that there ought to be a uniform policy, especially about entering the garbh-garha (sanctum sanctorum).
“The court is not the one to decide on this. Let those in the helm of affairs decide. We are only about justiciability. Courts cannot start to decide who should be allowed or not and when they should be allowed or not,” Chief Justice Kant responded.
Mr. Awasthi had challenged a Madhya Pradesh High Court order dismissing his petition against the preferential treatment given to VIPs to enter the sanctum to offer water to the deity, while denying access to the general public.
“The High Court differentiated between citizens. A person enters the sanctum on the order of Collector,” Mr. Jain submitted.
“People would want to enter because somebody else is doing it. Then they will say we want to chant mantras as part of our right to speak. All fundamental rights have to be practised inside the sanctum sanctorum? Please go and make your representation before the authority concerned,” the CJI observed orally, allowing Mr. Jain to withdraw the petition.
In a separate case, the Bench headed by Chief Justice Kant observed orally that temples with “limited government intervention for the purpose of management” showed an improvement in the quality of services and facilities provided to pilgrims.
“There are now good facilities from the donations. When the government constitutes a committee, we are not saying everybody may be right, most of them are spending that amount [from donations] for the welfare of visitors. There are good places to stay, good roads, primary hospitals… All the basic amenities are provided,” Chief Justice Kant remarked in an oral observation.
The oral observations concerned a petition linked to the Anjaneya temple, believed to be Lord Hanuman’s birthplace situated at Anjanadri Hills Koppal district in Karnataka
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