Supreme Court Declines Plea Against ‘VIPs’ Entry in Mahakal Temple

The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a petition challenging the district collector’s discretion in permitting “VIPs” to enter the garbhagriha of the Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, stating that courts cannot decide who should be allowed inside a temple. The court questioned the justiciability of such pleas and cautioned against judicial interference in matters of temple administration.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices R Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi, allowed the petitioner to withdraw the plea after a brief hearing and granted him liberty to make a representation before the competent authorities. During the hearing, the bench observed, “In the presence of Mahakaal, nobody can be a VIP,” and reiterated that deciding entry into the sanctum was not within the court’s domain.

The petition was filed by Ujjain resident Darpan Awasthi and argued by advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain. It challenged the practice of granting special access to select devotees to perform rituals inside the sanctum while denying similar access to ordinary devotees. The plea also questioned an August 28, 2025 judgment of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which had dismissed a public interest litigation on the same issue.

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Petitioner Allowed to Withdraw Plea

Arguing before the Supreme Court, Jain contended that the absence of uniform guidelines governing entry into the garbhagriha resulted in arbitrary discrimination and violated Article 14 of the Constitution. He argued that citizens could not be differentiated on the basis of VIP status and that ordinary devotees should enjoy the same rights as those granted access on administrative recommendations.

The bench, however, expressed concern over the broader implications of judicial intervention. It observed that if courts began regulating temple entry, it would open the door to extending all fundamental rights into the sanctum, which was neither practical nor desirable. The court maintained that such decisions were better left to authorities managing temple affairs.

Following the court’s observations, Jain sought permission to withdraw the petition. Recording this, the court noted that the petitioner would submit representations and suggestions to the concerned authorities.

Temple Committee’s Authority Questioned

The plea had also argued that the Shri Mahakaleshwar Temple Administrative Committee, constituted under the Shri Mahakaleshwar Adhiniyam, 1982, lacked statutory authority to create a separate category of “VIP” devotees. It relied on RTI-obtained resolutions passed in 2023, which permit State Guests, VIPs and VVIPs to enter the garbhagriha on the orders of the district collector or committee chairman.

Earlier, the Madhya Pradesh High Court had ruled that there was no statutory bar on entry into the sanctum sanctorum and held that granting such permissions was a matter of administrative discretion. It further observed that the term “VIP” was not defined under any statute and that identifying eligible persons was within the collector’s authority and beyond judicial review.

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