Janmashtami 2024: Allahabad HC directs live-streaming inside Vrindavan’s Banke Bihari Temple

Ahead of the Janmashtami celebrations, the Allahabad High Court has greenlighted the live broadcast of prayers at Vrindavan's Bankey Bihari temple and handed over the responsibility of law and order to the district administration from August 25 to 29.

The order comes in the wake of a stampede-like situation at the temple last year during Janmashtami. It is worth mentioning that the live-streaming facility will be available only inside the temple. The facility would enable the administration to facilitate the crowd.

The HC restricted live-streaming outside the temple after advocate Sankalp Goswami opposed the move.

"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," ANI quoted the court's statement.

The direction was passed in consultation with the Civil Judge, Junior Division, Mathura. The court has also permitted the installation of CCTV cameras through receivers under the temple system since 1939.

The order was passed by an Allahabad HC bench of Justices Siddhartha Verma and Ram Manohar Narayan Mishra on Wednesday while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by one Anant Sharma and another person from Mathura.

During the hearing, the Uttar Pradesh government's counsel cited the use of barricading to manage the crowd at temple during Janmashtami and said, “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.”

Earlier, the state government had proposed a scheme for renovating and developing the temple premises. The government had placed a scheme before the court regarding the development of the temple area as a corridor. As per the scheme the government will purchase a piece of land measuring about five acres around the shrine to provide facilities to devotees.