Siddhivinayak Donation Row: Trust Flags Uddhav Thackeray-Era Appointments, Seeks Probe Into Collection Dip

Published 5 August 2026 · local

News india Siddhivinayak Donation Row: Trust Flags Uddhav Thackeray-Era Appointments, Seeks Probe Into Collection Dip Siddhivinayak Donation Row: Trust Flags Uddhav Thackeray-Era Appointments, Seeks Probe Into Collection Dip Published By, Last Updated: August 05, 2026, 13:13 IST Trustees wrote to the Justice Department and questioned why donations were lower in the earlier years if the temple was receiving significantly higher amounts. Rapid Read The Siddhivinayak Trust has maintained that the investigation should establish the extent of the alleged financial irregularities. Siddhivinayak Temple Donation Theft: The controversy over alleged theft and irregularities in donations at Mumbai’s famous Siddhivinayak Temple has taken a new turn, with the temple trust alleging that some staffers appointed during the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led government were involved in the alleged theft. The temple trust has also highlighted a rise in annual donation collections in recent years, saying the amount increased from Rs 106 crore in 2022-23 to Rs 182 crore in 2025-26. Trust Seeks Probe Into Donation Collections Siddhivinayak Temple Trust chairman Sada Sarvankar said the trust had examined donation-box collections over the past four years and found a significant increase after the current board took charge. “The collections were Rs 106 crore in 2022–23, Rs 114 crore in 2023–24, Rs 135 crore in 2024–25, and Rs 182 crore in 2025–26. This means that since we took charge, the amount collected in the donation boxes has increased by nearly 35%," he said as quoted by news agency PTI. VIDEO | Mumbai: Siddhivinayak Temple Trust chief Sada Sarvankar says, “We examined the donation box collections over the last four years.

The collections were ₹106 crore in 2022–23, ₹114 crore in 2023–24, ₹135 crore in 2024–25, and ₹182 crore in 2025–26. This means that since… pic.twitter.com/Q3ZIe1db1i— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 4, 2026 He said that one of the trustees wrote to the Justice Department and questioned why donations were lower in the earlier years if the temple was receiving significantly higher amounts after the new board took charge. “One of our trustees wrote to the Justice Department asking that if the collections in the first three years were at this level, why were they only Rs 106 crore earlier? This should be thoroughly investigated. Maharashtra Deputy CM has ordered a probe into the matter," he added. UBT-Era Staffers Blamed The trust has alleged that several employees involved in the alleged theft were appointed during the previous Shiv Sena (UBT)-led government. Sarvankar has further claimed that one of the employees arrested in the case, Rajendra Pendurkar, was associated with a Shiv Sena (UBT) shakha in Prabhadevi and had been appointed during the tenure of former Mumbai mayor Vishakha Raut, Times of India reported. Officials at the Siddhivinayak Temple have reported a 35% increase in donations over the past four years, but contributions declined between 2022 and 2024, raising questions over the tenure of UBT office bearers. While overall collections fluctuated during the period, online… pic.twitter.com/UwlC78iDa1— News18 (@CNNnews18) August 5, 2026 The trust said nine employees have been arrested in connection with the alleged donation theft, while several others have been suspended. According to the trust, the accused allegedly exploited loopholes in the donation collection system and removed cash from donation boxes before it was formally counted and deposited.