Vidya Balan at the Kalighat temple

What the order says • Devotees cannot enter sanctum sanctorum • Offerings to be put in sealed boxes • Management to mention names of on-duty priests on a board • Install closed-circuit TV cameras on the premises except sanctum sanctorum

The high court on Friday put in place a set of measures aimed at ending extortion of devotees by pandas at the Kalighat temple.

As part of the measures, devotees have been barred from entering the temple’s sanctum sanctorum.

“No devotee, not even VIPs and VVIPs, will be allowed in the sanctum sanctorum,” the division bench of Chief Justice J.N. Patel and Justice S.K. Chakrabarti ruled on Friday, following a submission by the state that the rule of law could only be enforced on the temple premises if access to the sanctum sanctorum was curbed.

“Only two pujaris will be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum. They will conduct the puja on behalf of devotees and visitors,” the bench said.

Two more persons have been granted access to the sanctum sanctorum to remove leaves and flowers.

The bench, which had been for a year hearing two petitions highlighting extortion by pandas and lack of cleanliness at the temple, also ordered that a police officer not below the rank of assistant commissioner be made responsible for law and order on the premises. “The officer will depute at least two policemen at the gates of the sanctum sanctorum to prevent the entry of devotees,” the order said.

Offerings — cash or valuables — will have to be placed in sealed boxes. “No devotee will be allowed to give offerings openly,” the bench said.

Around 50,000 devotees visit the temple on Tuesdays and Saturdays and close to 20,000 on the other days. The daily offerings vary between Rs 10,000 and Rs 30,000.

Since there are many priests at the temple, they will take turns in entering the sanctum sanctorum. “The management will put up a board outside the temple, mentioning the names of the pujaris on duty,” the order said.

The temple management has been asked to install closed-circuit TV cameras across the premises except the sanctum sanctorum.

State lawyer Ashok Banerjee, who had clarified the government’s stand on the entry of devotees into the sanctum sanctorum, said after the court issued the order: “It’s easier to offer puja at the Dakshineswar temple because no one except priests are allowed in the sanctum sanctorum. We want to introduce a similar system at Kalighat.”

The Dakshineswar temple authorities, however, make exceptions for VIPs, who are at times allowed inside the sanctum sanctorum.

Gopal Mukherjee, acting secretary of the Kalighat temple management committee, said the order restricting access to the sanctum sanctorum was “beyond our imagination”.

“The petitions were related to lack of cleanliness and extortion. We were for the court to set the affairs right. But this order was beyond our imagination.... Perhaps, we could not explain the situation in the absence of our lawyer, who was taken ill,” Mukherjee said.

Under the system followed till Friday, four persons were on duty in the sanctum sanctorum daily. The priest offers the daily puja at 6am and the bhog at 2pm, and performs the arati at 6.30pm. He had two assistants, who were in charge of dressing the deity, putting on and taking off her jewellery, and handing devotees flowers from the idol’s feet.

Also present was one of the sebayets, who arranged for the day’s puja. Apart from them, all visitors enjoyed free access to the sanctum sanctorum and were allowed to touch the deity’s feet.

“At Kalighat, devotees have always been allowed to touch the deity. To be denied the opportunity will cause them mental agony,” Mukherjee said.

He referred to a 1999 order of a district judge, which had allowed a sebayet to enter the sanctum sanctorum with a yajman (one on whose behalf the puja is offered). “Does the order stand vacated following today’s ruling?” he asked.

The Kalighat temple came under the high court’s scanner a year ago following petitions filed by two devotees, Surabhi Basu and Prahlad Goenka. Basu pleaded for an order to keep the temple premises clean, while Goenka sought an end to the panda raj.

The division bench had in its first order in the case in November last year banned the entry of pandas into the sanctum sanctorum.

Soon after coming to power, the Mamata Banerjee government had submitted in the court that it had been preparing a plan for the area’s beautification. On Friday, the government pleader said talks were on for the implementation of the scheme.