Key Points:
- Under the Shree Siddhi Vinayak Temple Trust Act, the state government has to supervise use of the funds.
- Bombay HC on Tuesday allowed individual trustees of Siddhivinayak Temple at Prabhadevi to be made parties to a public interest litigation that seeks return of Rs 10 crore donated from its funds.
Bombay HC on Tuesday allowed individual trustees of Siddhivinayak Temple at Prabhadevi to be made parties to a public interest litigation that seeks return of Rs 10 crore donated from its funds to Shiv Bhojan scheme and CM’s Relief Fund for Covid-19 pandemic.
The PIL, by Leela Ranga, “an ardent devotee, regular visitor and a donor for many years”, states that under the Shree Siddhi Vinayak Temple Trust Act, the state government has to supervise use of the funds.
She urged HC to quash two government resolutions allowing the management committee to donate Rs 5 crore each toward Shiv Bhojan and CM’s Fund saying such transfers are illegal.
Making a submission before a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and justice Girish Kulkarni, senior advocate Darius Khambata, for the state, said it was one more PIL to create a sensation.
He said the trustees acted in accordance with the Act and donations can be made in special cases. Ranga’s advocate said he wants to add individual trustees as parties as they had knowledge of the donation.
