The Archaeological Survey of India has proposed to cut down visiting hours to the Taj Mahal to "a maximum of three-four hours". It also suggested permitting visitors in batches and setting up automated gates to ensure that the timings are followed, after the Supreme Court questioned how the ASI, which maintains the monument, plans to control crowds inside, Hindustan Times reported.

Counsel for the ASI, ADN Rao, said the authority had decided to issue tickets in a number of colours – one for a particular duration or session that would be invalid beyond the specified time. "With every tourist holding a ticket of a particular shade, it would be convenient to segregate them on the basis of permissible duration of their stay," he told a bench led by Chief Justice TS Thakur and comprising Justice C Nagappan, according to The Indian Express.

While the number of visitors may be restricted, the ASI has sought permission to decrease the number of sessions to five, each 45 minutes long, instead of the current eight 30-minute-long sessions. Rao said this short duration did not allow tourists enough time to appreciate the Mughal era marble structure in Agra. The Taj Mahal currently gets around 4 lakh visitors every weekend, according to the ASI.

The ASI's response came after advocate Ajay Agarwal filed an application calling for instructions to the authority to let visitors view the Taj from closer points. But Rao argued that they had used a scientific process to prescribe the distance from which people could see the monument without compromising its beauty.