A pujari who conducts worship at a temple is not merely, by offering worship to the idol, elevated to the status of a shebait (manager of the temple), the Ayodhya judgment of the Supreme Court has held.
“A pujari is a servant or appointee of a shebait and gains no independent right as a shebait despite having conducted the ceremonies for a long period of time. Thus, the mere presence of pujaris does not vest in them any right to be shebaits,” the Constitution Bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi drew the line for pujaris in temples.
A pujari is appointed by the Shebait as the ‘purohit’ to conduct the worship. But that does not transfer the rights and obligations of the Shebait to the pujari.
“A pujari is merely a servant appointed by the shebait for the performance of ceremonies. Where the appointment of a purohit has been in the will of the founder, the mere fact that the appointees have performed the worship for several generations, will not confer an independent right upon the members of the family so appointed and will not entitle them as of right to be continued in office as priest,” the Supreme Court said.
They can be removed
A ‘shebait’ is vested with the authority to manage the properties of the deity and ensure the fulfilment of the purpose for which the property was dedicated. As a necessary adjunct of this managerial role, a shebait may hire pujaris for the performance of worship. As appointees of the shebait, pujaris are liable to be removed from office and cannot claim a right to continue in office.
The court was deciding the claim made by the religious sect, Nirmohi Akhara, for shebaitship over the disputed site.
