PRAYAGRAJ (UP), Aug 16: The Allahabad High court has directed that the prayers at Vrindavan’s Bankey Bihari temple be live-streamed during the upcoming Janmashtami celebrations in consultation with the civil judge, Mathura.
The order assumes significance in light of a stampede at the temple last year.
“When the CCTV cameras are installed, the civil judge (junior division) shall be consulted. The district magistrate shall abide by the directions of the civil judge and ensure their compliance,” the court said.
A bench of Justices Siddhartha Verma and Ram Manohar Narayan Mishra passed the order on Wednesday while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by one Anant Sharma and another person from Mathura after a stampede at the temple in August last year.
The Uttar Pradesh government’s counsel appraised the court that the flow of devotees will be managed by installing barricades inside the temple.
“The barricading serves a dual purpose in the sense that it allows for managing the ingress of the devotees as the district administration can ensure that only a specified number of devotees are allowed at any given point of time to ensure that there is no overcrowding inside the premises,” the lawyer said.
There was a prayer in the petition for proper crowd management, especially during festivals and holidays, when lakhs of devotees congregate at the temple.
Earlier, the state government had placed before the court a scheme regarding the development of the temple area as a corridor with the purchase of a piece of land measuring about five acres around the shrine to provide facilities to devotees.
According to the scheme, there would be no interference of any kind in the “puja”, “archana” or “shringar” conducted by the Sewayat Goswami family (the traditional priests family) and whatever right they have shall be continued to be enjoyed by them. (PTI)
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