New Delhi, Aug. 6 -- The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday supported the suggestion of the Supreme Court to have an interim management committee headed by a retired high court judge to oversee the affairs of the Bankey Bihari Mandir in Mathura. The suggestion was made in a four-page note by the state government in a batch of petitions challenging an ordinance issued in May by which the state has taken over the administrative control of the temple by creating a trust and ousting the members of the Goswami community who used to run the temple affairs under a judicial order issued in 1939. The note said, "The State has no objection to the formation of an interim management committee headed by a retired high court judge appointed by this court, which will manage the administration of the temple, have access to the funds of the temple, to start building the corridor." The ordinance was issued by the state on May 26,days after the top court on May 15 granted UP government permission to utilise the temple funds to acquire 5 acres of land for a corridor development project around the Bankey Bihari temple. The ordinance along with the May 15 judgment was challenged by the members of the Goswami community and the management committee of the Bankey Bihari temple. The note by the state said, "The state is committed to providing finances for the same, in partnership with the temple administration, as was done in the case of Kashi Vishwanath Temple." While the state left the choice of the former high court judge to the top court, it insisted on the judge to be a Sanathan Hindu belonging to Vaishnav Sect in order to uphold the religious sentiments of the devotees of the temple. The bench of justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi red-flagged such a requirement and said, "So far as composition of the committee is concerned, it is very much in line with what we proposed. But the right hand column (requirement of Sanathana Hindu of Vaishnav sect), we must tell you that we do not belong to that pedigree. Belonging to the same religion will be enough."...