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UK High Court temporarily blocks sale of city’s only Hindu temple
The order pauses the transaction while the court considers written arguments from both the temple group and the council.
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Malvika Choudhary - Tue, 03, Mar 2026
- 14:37 EST
- 21
Bharat Hindu Samaj Mandir / Courtesy: Facebook/Bharat Hindu Samaj
A High Court in England has temporarily blocked the sale of Peterborough’s only Hindu temple, granting the local community interim relief in a legal challenge against the city council’s decision to dispose of the property.
According to local reports, the court issued a temporary injunction preventing Peterborough City Council from proceeding with the sale of the New England Complex, the site that has housed the Bharat Hindu Samaj temple since 1986.
Also Read: UK Hindu community petitions to save local temple
High Court temporarily blocks sale of Peterborough Mandir
— INSIGHT UK (@INSIGHTUK2) March 3, 2026
High Court judge Mr Justice Fordham has ordered a temporary injunction against the sale.
The court will now decide what happens next, once the temple group and council have set out their cases in writing. pic.twitter.com/JUSjr7xbp2
The order pauses the transaction while the court considers written arguments from both the temple group and the council.
The dispute arose after the council decided to sell the complex on the open market as part of asset disposal measures. Worshippers have objected to the move, particularly after reports indicated that a bidder included a mosque group.
The council has said it is legally required to obtain “best value” for taxpayers and that the sale process is being conducted in line with its statutory obligations.
Local media reported that the temple’s governing body is pursuing a judicial review, arguing that the council failed to properly consider the community’s long-standing efforts to purchase the property and did not provide adequate transparency in the decision-making process. The court’s interim order ensures that no irreversible steps are taken before the legality of the sale is examined.
Founded in 1986, the mandir serves Hindus in Peterborough and surrounding counties including Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire. Beyond religious services, it functions as a community center, hosting marriages, funerals, festivals, cultural programs, and charitable initiatives.
A Change.org petition titled “Stop the unethical sale of Peterborough’s only Hindu temple,” launched by a group calling itself “Hindus of Peterborough,” states that the temple serves more than 13,000 people.
The petition describes the mandir as “a beacon of culture and faith in Peterborough” and warns that the sale “would not only desecrate our sacred idols but also create a devastating void in our spiritual and social lives.”
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