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Temple administration passes fresh resolution to melt 247 kg gold and 3,298 kg silver despite High Court dismissal
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‘Contempt of Court notice’ served to Dharashiv District Collector, State Chief Secretary and Home Secretary
Dharashiv, Maharashtra – The Shri Tuljabhavani Temple administration has passed a fresh resolution seeking approval from the State’s Law and Judiciary Department to melt as much as 247 kg of gold and 3,298 kg of silver offered by devotees at the temple.
Why is the administration insisting on melting the gold of the sacred ornaments of Shri Tulja Bhavani Devi, despite the High Court not granting permission to do so?
A ‘Contempt of Court Notice’ has been issued to the Dharashiv District Collector, the State Chief Secretary and… pic.twitter.com/T5NVXBMutr
— Sunil Ghanwat 🛕🛕 (@SG_HJS) September 8, 2026
The administration claims that it intends to melt only the gold received after 2009; however, this claim is false and misleads the court. On 23 January 2025 itself, the High Court had dismissed the administration’s plea to melt the gold recieved after 2009. Despite this, passing a fresh resolution and seeking government permission constitutes direct contempt of court.
In this regard, on behalf of the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, Advocate Suresh Kulkarni and Advocate Umesh Bhadgaonkar have served a ‘contempt of court notice’ on the Dharashiv District Collector, the State Chief Secretary, the Home Secretary, and the Secretary of the Law and Judiciary Department, warning the administration of criminal contempt proceedings.
Why we strongly oppose the melting of gold?
- Violation of judicial directives: The temple trust had applied to the High Court seeking permission to melt the gold received between 01.01.2010 and 10.06.2023. However, on 23 January 2025, the court clarified that since the matter was pending before the Supreme Court, modifying the interim order would be inappropriate. Under such circumstances, passing a fresh resolution is unlawful.
- Attempt to suppress evidence of corruption: On 8 December 2023, while staying the melting of gold, the High Court took note of a grave matter, observing that: “A gold crown offered by a devotee turned out to be fake (imitation gold).” As it stands, 71 ancient coins, a gold crown, and a mangalsutra are already missing from the temple. If jewellery in the treasury turns out to be counterfeit, it is evident that theft has taken place. Melting the remaining gold now would destroy crucial evidence regarding ‘who swapped the fake jewellery’ and cover up the corruption.
- False claims by the administration: The administration claims that the Supreme Court has stayed the matter; however, the legal notice clarifies that the stay granted by the Supreme Court is strictly limited to ‘registering criminal cases’ against the 16 individuals accused in the ₹8.50 crore misappropriation case. This stay has no bearing whatsoever on ‘granting permission to melt the gold’. The High Court’s earlier stay on melting the gold remains in force to this day.
The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, through this legal notice, has issued a clear warning that if the district administration does not immediately revoke this unlawful resolution to melt the gold, a criminal contempt petition will be filed against the Dharashiv District Collector and the concerned officials in their individual capacities.
HJS’s efforts to safeguard Tuljabhavni Temple gold and silver bear fruit
January 25, 2025
High Court Rejects Dharashiv Collector’s Appeal to Melt Tuljabhavani Temple’s Gold and Silver!
Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra – 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.
Advocate (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 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.
