Interim stay on melting gold of Tuljabhavani Mandir

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court comprising Justice Vibha Kankanwadi and Justice Abhay Waghwase on December 8, 2023, granted an interim stay on melting gold offered by devotees at Tuljabhavani Mandir of Tuljapur. The next hearing has been placed on January 9.

Priyanka Lone through Hindu Janjagruti Samiti (HJS) filed a public interest litigation (PIL) requesting the court to recover the amount of irregularities. The petitioner alleged that irregularities of gold, silver and other precious ornaments ( worth Rs 8 crore) offered at the Mandir took place.

According to details, the HJS filed the main petition in 2015. In the petition, the court was requested to recover an amount of irregularities of 120 kg gold, 480 kg silver and cash committed by corrupt people. The petitioner requested the court to file a criminal case against those involved in it.

Disposing of the petition, the court issued orders to complete the probe in three months through the intelligence branch. In the intelligence branch report, it was stated that criminal cases should be registered against 15 persons. The State Government formed a new probe panel instead of registering criminal cases.

Another office probed the matter and stated in the report that there was no intention of committing a crime but whatever is done by those responsible, can be called as irregularities. The petitioner said that the second report was sheltering the corrupt people.

Box

Second petition

Upset over this, HJS filed another public interest litigation.

The petitioners requested the court to uphold the first report about registering criminal cases and dispose of the petition by setting a separate court. “Irregularities committed in ornaments or Rs 8 crore by the corrupt people should be recovered,” the petitioner urged the court. It was also brought to the notice of the court that the Government is thinking of melting gold, coins, silver and precious items offered at Mandir between 2009 and 2023. The lawyer of the petitioner argued that melting ornaments and precious is wrong. Chief Government Pleader A B Girase appeared for the Government.