Overview
- The Maharashtra Mandir Mahasangh mobilised on Saturday, May 23, submitting more than 300 memorandums and announcing a statewide agitation that seeks unconditional withdrawal of the State Devasthan Inam Abolition Draft Act, 2026.
- The draft proposes to regularise inam and other temple lands by granting ownership to tenants and occupants and aims to resolve disputes to unlock about 400,000 hectares of land.
- Trustees say the bill discriminates because it excludes Waqf Board properties from its scope and would cancel historic grants made to deities by pre‑colonial rulers, which they say threatens temple endowments.
- The Mahasangh warns that Section 18, which would limit trustees from approaching civil courts against revenue decisions, removes judicial remedies and shifts dispute resolution into administrative channels.
- Recent anti‑encroachment enforcement under a Bombay High Court order has produced clashes in Bandra East, showing how legal changes and on‑ground clearances could heighten local tensions and force political mediation with the revenue minister.