3 weeks ago
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The Supreme Court connected Monday (May 18, 2026) refused to entertain a plea seeking to represent a judicial committee oregon an adept committee to reappraisal the wages and different benefits fixed to priests, 'sevadars' and temple unit successful State-controlled temples.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said that it cannot entertain the petition nether Article 32 of the Constitution and those aggrieved tin straight attack the Court.
The Supreme Court asked petitioner advocator Ashwini Upadhyay not to get into the affairs of priests arsenic helium whitethorn beryllium unaware astir the net of priests and 'sevadars' of temples.
Mr. Upadhyay said determination are judgments of the Allahabad High Court and different precocious courts which telephone for reviewing the wages of priests of state-controlled temples to alteration them to unrecorded a dignified life.
The Bench refused to spell into the petition and allowed Mr. Upadhyay to retreat the petition with liberty to avail the remedy disposable nether the law.
The plea, filed done advocator Ashwani Dubey, sought directions to the Centre and states to represent a judicial committee oregon an adept committee to reappraisal the remuneration and different benefits fixed to priests and temple unit successful state-controlled temples.
"Petitioner besides seeks a declaration that priests and temple unit are employees nether Section 2(k) of the Code connected Wages, 2019. Petitioner submits that erstwhile the State assumes the administrative, economical and fiscal power implicit temples, an employer-employee narration arises and denial of dignified wages to priests and temple unit violates the close to livelihood guaranteed nether Article 21," it said.
Mr. Upadhyay said the origin of enactment accrued connected April 4, erstwhile helium went to Varanasi to be a nationalist programme and aft performing 'rudrabhishek' successful the Kashi Vishwanath temple, which is controlled by the State, helium came to cognize that adjacent the minimum wages to unrecorded with dignity are not fixed to the priests and temple staff.
"Recently, successful Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, priests and temple unit organised a large-scale protestation demanding the minimum wages. Priests and temple unit are not getting adjacent the minimum wage prescribed by the State for unskilled and semi-skilled workers. This is simply a systemic exploitation. The State is acting arsenic a exemplary leader done the endowments department, but violating theDandayuthapani Swami Temple successful Madurai, strictly prohibiting priests from accepting 'dakshina' and the directive principles of authorities argumentation (Article 43)," it said.
The plea further said the continued refusal to conscionable the minimum wages with the 2026 inflation-adjusted outgo of surviving scale had forced the petitioner to question judicial involution to forestall the further "marginalisation" of priests and temple staff.
Mr. Upadhyay further said the precarious quality of livelihood was starkly exposed connected February 7, 2025, erstwhile a Tamil Nadu section issued a circular astatine the Dandayuthapani Swami Temple successful Madurai, strictly prohibiting priests from accepting 'dakshina' successful 'aarti' plates.
