High Court Rejects Dharashiv Collector’s Appeal to Melt Tuljabhavani Temple’s Gold and Silver!
Sambhajinagar – The Mumbai High Court’s Sambhajinagar Bench has rejected the Dharashiv District Collector’s appeal to melt the gold and silver stored in the treasury of Shri Tuljabhavani Temple. This crucial decision was delivered by Justice Mangesh Patil and Shailesh Brahme. The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) had strongly opposed this governmental decision, stating, it was a matter of protecting devotees’ faith and exposing the scandal going on within the temple. Advocate Umesh Bhadgaonkar, representing the HJS, provided this information.
Adv. (Pujya) Suresh Kulkarni, a founding member of the Hindu Vidhignya Parishad and an advocate at the Mumbai High Court, revealed that during 1991-2009, the then trustees, government-appointed officials, representatives, and contractors collectively embezzled ₹8.5 crores from Tuljapur temple. Despite the fraud, no substantial action was taken at the administrative level. Consequently, the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti filed a petition in the Sambhajinagar Bench of the High Court demanding criminal cases against 8 contractors, 8 government-appointed administrators, district collector, and tehsildar. On May 9, 2024, the court ordered criminal cases against all of them.
Following this, the Dharashiv Collector filed a petition seeking permission to melt gold and coins accumulated between 2009 and 2024. The Samiti strongly opposed this request, arguing that the permission was sought to conceal or enable further misappropriation of funds during 1991-2009. And since the Supreme Court is yet to decide on the case related to the previous embezzlement, the Samiti’s advocates, (Pujya) Suresh Kulkarni and Umesh Bhadgaonkar, opposed the request to melt the gold.
Samiti’s Efforts in Protecting Devotees’ Faith : “The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti has safeguarded the devotees’ faith. This victory strengthens the trust in judiciary. The Samiti’s efforts have helped in curbing misappropriation and corruption within the temple. We will continue our legal battle to protect Shri Tuljabhavani Devi’s wealth and ensure strict action against the culprits,” stated Shri Sunil Ghanwat, the Maharashtra State Coordinator of the HJS.
