Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered an examination of five years of records from Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak temple after allegations of irregularities in the handling of donations.
The order follows allegations by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray that about Rs 18 crore was being misappropriated from temple offerings each year. The allegation has not itself established wrongdoing; it is the reason an official review has been ordered. Nine temple employees were arrested earlier in connection with the alleged theft case.
Officials said a temple trust delegation submitted details of offerings between 2023 and 2026. Fadnavis directed officials to examine the documents and submit a report quickly. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had previously called for an independent inquiry.
The investigation will need to establish how donations were collected, recorded, deposited and audited. Until it is complete, public claims should be treated as allegations rather than findings. A transparent report would show whether the issue involved individual conduct, a control failure or a broader accounting problem.