Overview
- Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde directed the law and judiciary department to carry out a five-year review of the trust’s accounts after trustees met him on Tuesday.
- The review will cover weekly cash collections, jewellery and other valuables and will explicitly include the tenure of former chairman Adesh Bandekar.
- Trustees say they detected collection loopholes in March, suspended dozens of staff, and that arrests were made based on CCTV evidence though several accused later obtained bail.
- MNS leader Raj Thackeray publicised a trustees’ letter alleging about ₹18 crore may have been siphoned each year, a claim the trust says was misread while still asking for a formal audit.
- The probe raises political stakes because some accused were appointed during the previous administration, and the audit could influence wider scrutiny of donation handling at major temples.