Vrindavan 2016.04.04 (VT): Not even the world famous Banke Bihari temple, knows for its high devotional standards, will be spared accusations of gender discrimination. The organizing committee of the temple doesn’t provide voting rights to women during committee elections, except in special circumstances.
The recent case of the Shanishinganapur temple in Maharashtra, where woman activists agitated to be allowed to worship the Shani murti directly. The case was taken to the Bombay High Court which decided in the favor of the the women. Now women activists are working to get the rights to participate and vote in the Banke Bihari organizing committee.
The election for important posts in Bankey Bihari is underway, but women from the Goswami families are not allowed to take part. They are neither permitted to stand for a post nor to be a voter in these elections. The only exceptions are widows of such families as have a successor who is still a minor.
Prominent member of the existing committee, Shri Prahlad Ballabh Goswami, told our correspondent that no women has ever been elected in the committee, and that women have no right to vote except in special situations. This is mentioned directly in the committee rule book.
As per the information provided by Committee’s Assistant Election Officer, Mr. Umesh Saraswat, only four widows are currently named in the voter list. Of them, three are new voters and one was there previously. All of them belong to the family of “Shayan Bhog” servants of Lord Banke Bihari. Families in the service of Banke Bihari are categorized either as “Raj Bhog” servants or “Shayan Bhog” servants.
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