Mumbai The Bombay High Court on Monday sought to know whether there is any provision that does not allow levy of additional fee on the entry of VIPs into the famous Trimbakeshwar temple in Maharashtra’s Nashik district. . A division bench of Justices SV Gangapurwala and SG Dige was hearing a PIL filed by social activist Lalita Shinde, seeking VIP entry into the temple by the trust. A fee of Rs 200 was challenged for Rs.
Petitioner’s counsel Rameshwar Geete argued that payment of fee for VIP entry creates a gap between people. He claimed that the temple is a protected monument and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), so the temple trust cannot levy such charges. However, the High Court bench said that priority has been sought for entry into the temple. The High Court bench said if a person seeks some preference, an additional fee may be charged. Arrangements have been made for those people.
You show a provision that says it is not allowed. The court said that you (petitioner) can do social work in a better way. We’ll give you some time. We are not convinced by your arguments. The High Court has fixed the next hearing of the matter on November 30. The petitioner had argued that the temple has been declared an ‘ancient monument’ under the Ancient Monuments Protection Act (AMPA), which means it was a protected structure. Significantly, in the year 2011, the Supreme Court had ordered the formation of a nine-member committee to manage the temple. (Language)
