Siddhivinayak Temple Trust admits donation loopholes, seeks probe into ₹18 crore gap
The Siddhivinayak Temple Trust Board has acknowledged gaps in its donation collection process and has sought a probe by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the Maharashtra Law and Judiciary Department into an alleged annual shortfall of ₹18 crore. The admission came on Monday, a day after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray alleged that the temple’s donations were being misappropriated.
In a statement, the trust said certain practices that allowed leakage of funds have been stopped. “Some loopholes were being used, which we have stopped. Money taken for doing a darshan was stopped. Then the dalals who roamed around the temple and would ask for money which was stopped. All temple workers and security guards used to be paid through Google Pay for a darshan, which has been stopped as well,” said Sadanand Shankar Sarvankar, Chairperson of the Siddhivinayak Trust Board.
The trust has suspended 46 employees and reported nine workers to the police, who were arrested in connection with the alleged irregularities. Eight of them have been released on bail, while one worker who was absconding has applied for anticipatory bail.
Trustee Rahul Tukaram Londhe provided figures indicating that after the reforms, weekly donations have nearly doubled. “The donations that were taken two years ago were counted regularly every eight days on a Wednesday; the donations were filled up in a bag the same day. The collection for the donations two years ago was ₹45-₹50 lakh weekly. But now we are receiving ₹98 lakh weekly,” he said.
Londhe also provided a comparison of annual collections and budgets, noting a significant rise. In 2022-23, the annual temple donation collection was ₹106 crore, and in 2023-24 it was ₹114 crore. The budget for 2024-25 was initially set at ₹134.35 crore, but later revised to ₹182 crore, reflecting the increase in donations. “This is why we have written a letter to Vishwas Nangare Patil of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, to launch an inquiry into the discrepancies: why it was so much less before, and why it has increased after this trust board was formed,” he added.
Sarvankar explained how the alleged thefts were occurring. “Nine workers were arrested in connection with this incident. They would find where the donation box was kept and take it up to the third floor, where they would take out the money. We caught all the earlier workers on the CCTV camera and removed them. The new workers were also caught on the CCTV. They were reported to the police, and action was taken immediately. They were under the employment of a former Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA,” he said.
“We believe the donations of the worshippers should be used for the right reasons, whether it is ₹1,000 or ₹1,” said Londhe, emphasising the trust’s commitment to transparency.
The Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai is one of the most visited religious sites in the country, attracting thousands of devotees daily. The allegations by Raj Thackeray had brought attention to the management of donations at the temple. The trust board, which was constituted recently, has stated that it is taking steps to ensure that all collections are accounted for and used appropriately. The ACB has not yet commented on the trust’s request for an inquiry.
