The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Karnataka government to permit Sri Anjaneya Temple head priest, Vidyadas Babaji, to continue performing religious duties and reside in a single room within the temple premises, in line with an interim order passed by the Karnataka High Court in 2023.

The court also issued a stern warning that any defiance or non-compliance with the directive would be taken seriously.

“Issue notice. Authorities are directed to comply with the 2023 interim order passed by the High Court in the pending writ petition and allow the petitioner to continue duties as priest of the temple and stay in the single room. Any defiance or non-compliance will be viewed seriously,” Justice Surya Kant dictated during the hearing.

The order was passed by a Bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Dipankar Datta, after hearing submissions by Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, appearing for Babaji.

Jain argued that the priest’s religious tradition (Sampradaya) had been conducting worship at the Sri Anjaneya Temple in Koppal, Karnataka for over 120 years, but in 2018, the district administration forcibly took over management of the temple.

Babaji had challenged this takeover through a writ petition before the High Court, which in February 2023 passed an interim order in his favour. The High Court restrained the State from taking any precipitative or coercive action against him concerning the temple or his residence.

"The respondents shall not take any precipitative/coercive steps against the petitioner in relation to the subject temple or his residence in any manner whatsoever... It is made clear that this interim arrangement is without prejudice to the rights and contentions of the parties and subject to further orders of this Court and final outcome of these petitions," the High Court had ruled.

Despite this, Babaji alleged that in March 2025, state authorities attempted to replace him with another priest. When he objected, he was allegedly threatened and verbally abused by officials. “They told him to ‘mind his own business’ and claimed that religious duties would now be conducted solely by the third person they had appointed,” the plea states.

The petition further accuses the authorities of harassment, including cutting off electricity to Babaji’s residence to force him out, and even attempting to falsely implicate him by planting cannabis on him.

Although Babaji filed a contempt petition before the High Court regarding these actions, the court dismissed it on April 9, stating that a prima facie case had not been established. The Division Bench noted that the petitioner had not filed a police complaint and found insufficient material to support the allegations.

Challenging this dismissal, Babaji moved the Supreme Court, which has now revived protections granted to him under the 2023 interim order.

Case Title: Vidyadas Babaji v. V. Rashmi Mahesh & Ors., SLP(C) No. 14917/2025