SC PIL asks minimum wages and employee status for priests and temple staff in state controlled temples

Priests and sevadars may be legally treated as employees soon

A PIL filed in the Supreme Court asks the Centre and states to set up a judicial commission or expert committee to review wages, service conditions, and welfare benefits for priests, sevadars, and temple staff in state-controlled temples. The plea seeks classification as “employees” to extend minimum wage protections under the Code on Wages, 2019, potentially reshaping how temple work is regulated.