MUMBAI, Aug. 8 — Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed officials to audit five years of donation records at Siddhivinayak Temple, one of Mumbai's most visited Ganesha shrines, amid a widening row over the shrine's donation collections, an unidentified official told PTI.
In brief: Two separate five-year reviews of Siddhivinayak Temple's donations are now underway. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered one on August 4, and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered another on August 8. Nine temple employees were arrested in March in connection with an alleged theft. The Trust has denied any cover-up and says it flagged the irregularities itself. This is a developing story, and the allegations are still under investigation.
Fadnavis's order came after a delegation from the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust met him and presented data on donation collections between 2023 and 2026, according to officials cited by news agencies. He has asked for the probe report at the earliest.
The directive adds to a separate five-year audit that Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had already ordered on August 4, when he asked Additional Chief Secretary Asim Gupta to examine cash donations, jewellery, and other valuables received at the temple, Outlook India reported. Because the review spans five years, it covers the tenure of former trust chairman Adesh Bandekar, who led the trust until November 2023, as well as that of his successor and current chairman, Sada Sarvankar — a detail that has added a political dimension to the row amid tensions between rival factions of the Shiv Sena, according to the magazine.
The temple trust says it detects irregularities and writes to Maharashtra's Law and Judiciary Department seeking a probe. Nine temple employees are arrested in connection with the alleged theft.
Aug. 2, 2026
MNS chief Raj Thackeray publicly alleges that close to Rs 18 crore is being siphoned off from the temple's donations every year.
Aug. 4, 2026
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde meets Trust chairman Sada Sarvankar at Mantralaya and orders a five-year audit of cash, jewellery, and valuables, to be conducted by Additional Chief Secretary Asim Gupta.
Aug. 8, 2026
CM Devendra Fadnavis directs officials to separately examine five years of donation records after meeting a Trust delegation.
Timeline compiled by DevMarg from Scroll.in, Outlook India, and other cited reports.
What triggered the scrutiny
The controversy began after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray alleged on August 2 that close to Rs 18 crore was being siphoned off from the temple's donations every year. Nine temple employees were arrested in March in connection with the alleged theft, Sarvankar said, according to Scroll.in, which cited The Indian Express. The case remains under investigation, and no one has been convicted.
The two audits, compared
Fadnavis directive
Shinde-ordered audit
Ordered by
CM Devendra Fadnavis
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde
Date ordered
Aug. 8, 2026
Aug. 4, 2026
Conducted by
Not specified in current reports
Additional Chief Secretary Asim Gupta
Scope
Donation records for the last five years
Cash, jewellery, and valuables; covers the tenures of both Adesh Bandekar and Sada Sarvankar
Compiled by DevMarg from officials cited by PTI (via Scroll.in) and Outlook India.
The Trust's account
The Siddhivinayak Temple Trust has denied any cover-up and said it was the one that first detected the suspected irregularities and alerted the state government. Sarvankar said the trust wrote to Maharashtra's Law and Judiciary Department in March seeking a detailed probe, after which the department sought a report from the temple and issued notices to two senior officials responsible for its daily administration, Outlook India reported.
The trust had separately sought an audit of its own donations over the previous two years, saying its monthly income nearly doubled, from around Rs 40 to 45 lakh to between Rs 80 lakh and Rs 90 lakh, after it says it plugged the alleged loopholes, according to Outlook India.
In separate remarks reported by other outlets, Sarvankar said weekly collections, which had earlier been around Rs 50 lakh, rose to between Rs 75 lakh and Rs 95 lakh after the trust took action against the employees involved, and touched close to Rs 1.5 crore during periods of heavy footfall.
Sarvankar also said the trust had found instances of devotees handing donations directly to priests or staff instead of depositing them in the temple's official donation boxes, and that staff have since been reminded to ensure all offerings go into the boxes.
Donation collections at a glance
Period
Donations recorded
2022-23
Rs 104 crore
Last year
Rs 137 crore
This year
Rs 182 crore
Figures as given by Trust chairman Sada Sarvankar, reported by India.com and other outlets.
A history of scrutiny
This is not the first time Siddhivinayak's donation practices have faced formal review. In 2004, the temple trust was accused of mismanaging donations, and the Bombay High Court appointed a committee led by retired judge V P Tipnis to examine how the trust gave away its funds. The committee reportedly found no consistent method for choosing which institutions received grants, with recommendations often coming from trustees or influential figures. In 2006, the High Court directed the state government, the trust, and the original petitioner to draw up clearer guidelines for using trust funds.
The trust, widely described as the richest in Mumbai, has also used its funds for public causes in the past, including a Rs 51 lakh grant to the families of CRPF personnel killed in the 2019 Pulwama attack, underlining the scale and public profile of an institution now facing fresh financial scrutiny.
Not an isolated case
The Siddhivinayak row comes amid similar controversies over alleged donation theft at other prominent temples, including Badrinath Temple in Uttarakhand and the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, Scroll.in reported.
Why Siddhivinayak matters to devotees
Siddhivinayak draws lakhs of devotees every week, and significantly more during Ganesh Chaturthi, making it one of the most prominent stops among temples across Mumbai. The trust has said daily rituals and prasad distribution, offered to the deity widely worshipped as the remover of obstacles, remain unaffected by the ongoing inquiry.
What happens next
Both audits are expected to examine donation records, staff conduct, and internal financial controls to determine whether the changes in collections were the result of theft, administrative lapses, underreporting, or other factors. DevMarg will update this report as the investigation progresses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Siddhivinayak Temple donation row about?
It is an ongoing controversy over alleged irregularities in how donations were collected and recorded at Mumbai's Siddhivinayak Temple. The row began after MNS chief Raj Thackeray alleged that close to Rs 18 crore was being siphoned off from the temple's donations every year, leading to arrests and two separate government-ordered audits.
Who ordered the probe into Siddhivinayak Temple's donations?
Two separate reviews are underway. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde ordered a five-year audit on August 4, to be conducted by Additional Chief Secretary Asim Gupta. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis separately directed officials on August 8 to examine five years of donation records after meeting a delegation from the temple trust.
How much money is alleged to have been siphoned off from the temple?
MNS chief Raj Thackeray alleged that nearly Rs 18 crore was being siphoned off from the temple's donations annually. This figure is an allegation and has not been established by the ongoing investigation.
How many people have been arrested in connection with the case?
Nine temple employees were arrested in March in connection with the alleged theft, according to Trust chairman Sada Sarvankar. The case remains under investigation, and no one has been convicted.
What has the Siddhivinayak Temple Trust said in response?
The trust has denied any cover-up and says it was the one that first detected the suspected irregularities, writing to Maharashtra's Law and Judiciary Department in March to seek a probe on its own. It has also said donation collections rose after it took corrective action against the employees involved.
Is this the first time Siddhivinayak's donations have faced official scrutiny?
No. In 2004, the Bombay High Court appointed a committee led by retired judge V P Tipnis to review the trust's donation practices after similar mismanagement allegations, and in 2006 the court directed clearer guidelines for using trust funds.
Will temple darshan, puja, or prasad be affected by the probe?
The trust has said daily rituals and prasad distribution remain unaffected by the ongoing inquiry, and devotees can continue to visit the temple for darshan as usual.
When will the probe findings be made public?
Both Fadnavis and Shinde have asked officials to submit their respective reports at the earliest, but no official deadline has been announced. DevMarg will update this article once findings are released.
This is a developing story
The details in this report are based on statements by state and temple officials and news coverage available as of August 8, 2026. The allegations are yet to be proved, and no one has been convicted. DevMarg will update this article as the investigation moves forward.
