Uttar Pradesh Temple Land Encroachment Case

In 2025, the Allahabad High Court heard a case concerning the illegal encroachment of land belonging to the historic Shri Hanuman Garhi Temple in Uttar Pradesh. The temple's chief priest, Mahant Rajendra Das, and the temple trust filed a petition alleging that local businessmen Vivek Sharma and his wife Anita Sharma had forged documents to claim ownership of nearly two acres of temple land and had begun constructing a commercial complex. The Uttar Pradesh Police investigated and found evidence of fraudulent land records and collusion with local revenue officials. The case raised serious concerns about the vulnerability of religious properties. The court ruled that the land rightfully belonged to the temple trust, ordered the demolition of the illegal structures, and directed criminal proceedings against the encroachers and corrupt officials.

The Allahabad High Court ruled in favor of the temple trust, declaring the encroachment illegal. It ordered the immediate restitution of the land, demolition of unauthorized constructions at the defendants' cost, and initiation of criminal trials for forgery, criminal conspiracy, and corruption against Vivek Sharma, Anita Sharma, and two suspended revenue officials.

The central dispute was whether the land parcels were privately owned by the accused through valid purchase deeds or were inalienable temple property protected by religious endowment laws. The authenticity of historical revenue records and the alleged involvement of revenue department officials in manipulating land registries were also hotly contested.

The verdict was widely welcomed by Hindu religious groups and sparked a statewide debate on safeguarding temple assets. It prompted the Uttar Pradesh government to announce a special task force to audit temple lands and digitize records. The case also intensified public discourse on the nexus between land mafias and local authorities, reinforcing calls for stricter laws to protect religious and charitable properties.