Eight years have passed since the Maharashtra government approved a law to appoint salaried priests at prominent temples such as Kolhapur’s Ambabai Temple and the Jyotiba Temple, yet the legislation remains unimplemented. The law was cleared during the tenure of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, but no concrete steps have been taken so far. The Kolhapur City and District Citizens’ Action Committee has alleged that the government appears to have overlooked its own decision. The committee has now urged the Chief Minister to issue an immediate public clarification before the people of Maharashtra regarding the delay and explain why the law has not been enforced.
The committee stated that the law aimed to ensure the appointment of salaried priests, a move that had received strong public support when it was passed. They emphasized that temples like Ambabai and Jyotiba attract devotees from across India and abroad, who donate significant amounts of money. According to the committee, these funds should be deposited with the government and utilized strictly for improving facilities and services for devotees visiting the temples. They reiterated that implementing the law would bring transparency and better management to temple operations while safeguarding the interests of devotees and ensuring proper utilization of offerings.
Issuing a stern warning, the committee said that if the government continues to delay implementation, it could face a large-scale agitation similar to the anti-toll protests, where authorities were forced to step back due to public pressure. Several members, including Ashok Powar, Ramesh More, Dilip Desai, Ajit Sasane, Rajabhau Malekar, Chandrakant Suryavanshi, Prakash Amte, Mahesh Jadhav, Chandrakant Yadav, Lahuji Shinde, Vijay Shinde, Prasad Bulbule, Mahadev Jadhav, Amrit Shinde, S. N. Joshi, Prof. Shivaji Patil, Anna Deshpande, Sadanand Surve, Rajesh Vark, Vinod Dunung, and Chandrakant Patil, jointly issued the statement warning of a “Remove Priests” आंदोलन if their demands are not met.
The committee also raised concerns over alleged misconduct by certain priests at Jyotiba Hill, where some devotees were reportedly assaulted by individuals posing as priests. They demanded a thorough investigation into the incident and questioned why no action has been taken against the accused so far. The police administration has been asked to provide a clear explanation for the delay in कार्रवाई. Furthermore, the committee insisted that such individuals should not be protected and called for strict legal action, including the registration of serious charges such as attempt to murder, to ensure accountability and prevent such incidents in the future.