Lucknow (AsiaNews/ICNS) – The high court of Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh has asked the government to set up an official agency to monitor the administration of Hindu temples and places of worship of other faiths in the state.

In an order issued yesterday, the judges said it was "urgent and important" that the functioning of temples and monasteries be regulated, and proposed an official board composed of government officials as the "best solution".

The bench, comprising Judges S N Srivastava and Satya Narain, also directed the government to prescribe a minimum wage for religious and all those working for the upkeep of temples and other structures and the preparation of ceremonies. A form listing the necessary information related to such payments "should be ready within three months".

The court decision follows a petition presented to the bench by some workers at the Manas Mandir temple in Varanasi, the sacred Hindu city. The workers drew attention to their "paltry remuneration" and sought payment "like everyone else". Although the Uttar Pradesh Labour Commissioner ruled in favour of the workers, the temple committee refused to pay the workers the minimum wage as prescribed by the law and an appeal was made to the High Court.

The High Court said even though employment laws were not applicable to religious institutions, workers engaged in them were entitled to "fair remuneration for a livelihood in dignity" under the provisions of Article 43 of India's constitution. One of the signatories of the petition, K. Satiah Sharma, said: "We serve God, but we do not have any money to take care of our family members and this is not right."

The judges recommended that the authorities draw up a sort of "census" of places of worship in state territory, to avoid the setting up of new, "unauthorized" places and to "better protect those working for the faithful".