Maharashtra govt seeks Siddhivinayak trust report amid rs 18 crore donation controversy
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Mumbai, August 4: The Maharashtra Law and Judiciary Department has sought a detailed financial report from the Shri Siddhivinayak Temple Trust following allegations made by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray that donations worth Rs 18 crore are being siphoned off from Mumbai's iconic temple every year.
_202608042030488446_H@@IGHT_400_W@@IDTH_600.jpg "Maharashtra govt seeks Siddhivinayak trust report amid rs 18 crore donation controversy")
Trustee Rahul Londhe said the department has asked the trust administration to submit a report, after which the state government will decide its next course of action.
"The Law and Judiciary Department has asked the trust administration to submit a report. Based on that report, the state government will decide the further course of action," Londhe said.
The controversy began after Raj Thackeray, while addressing the 20th anniversary programme of the Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena (MNVS) on August 1, claimed that a letter sent to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde alleged that Rs 18 crore was being stolen from the temple annually.
However, the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust rejected the allegation, stating that no such letter had been sent to Shinde. Instead, the trust clarified that it had itself approached the Law and Judiciary Department in May 2026, requesting a comprehensive audit of temple donations, months before the allegations surfaced.
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Trust president and Minister of State Sada Sarvankar said the trustees had alerted authorities after noticing irregularities in donation collections. He said he had approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and its chief, Vishwas Nangre Patil, following which officers were deployed at the temple.
According to the trust, one temple employee, Rajendra Pendurkar, was arrested for allegedly stealing donation money, leading to the arrest of eight more accused in March. Sarvankar alleged that the accused have links with Shiv Sena (UBT), though the party has not responded to the claim.