CM Devendra Fadnavis Orders Probe Into Rs 18 Crore Siddhivinayak Temple Theft
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday ordered an official probe into the alleged theft of Rs 18 crore annually from the donation collections of Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak Temple. Directing officials to thoroughly examine the temple’s donation records for the past five years, the chief minister asked investigators to scrutinise any significant changes in the financial collections recorded during this period.
Addressing the directive, a senior government official confirmed that the chief minister has instructed state officials to submit the probe report at the earliest possible date. The official stated that if any individual is found guilty following the investigation, strict action will be taken against them.
The development follows actions taken earlier in the week by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde regarding the financial allegations. On Wednesday, following claims of theft from the Siddhivinayak Temple donations, Shinde ordered a probe into the temple's official accounts. He instructed Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Aseem Gupta to lead the inquiry and submit a detailed report on the allegations of a deficit in donations.
According to a senior official, the inquiry ordered by Deputy Chief Minister Shinde is likely to be conducted by a joint committee composed of representatives from two government arms: the law and judiciary department and the urban development department. The Siddhivinayak Temple Trust operates under state regulation and is governed by the state law and judiciary department, which is headed by Chief Minister Fadnavis.
The state-level interventions come in the wake of public allegations made last week by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, who alleged that temple donations amounting to Rs 18 crore were being siphoned off every single year.
Prior to these government orders and political allegations, the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust had already called for an audit into the increase in donation amounts registered at the shrine over the past two years.
