Maharashtra: Orders Issued for Survey of Encroached Temple Lands and for Drafting an ‘Anti-Land Grabbing Act’!

Mumbai, 1st October 2025: A significant amount of land belonging to temple trusts in the state has been encroached upon. The Maharashtra Mandir Mahasangh had demanded that the state government implement an ‘Anti-Land Grabbing Act’ in Maharashtra, similar to the one in Gujarat, to recover these lands and prevent further encroachment. Responding to the Mahasangh’s demand, Minister of State for Law and Judiciary, Advocate Ashish Jaiswal, convened a special meeting at the Mantralaya.

During this meeting, Minister of State Ashish Jaiswal gave important directives to survey the lands of temple trusts across the state to identify encroached properties and prepare a district-wise list. He also instructed the Law and Judiciary Department to prepare a draft of the ‘Anti-Land Grabbing Act’.

Present at the meeting were Sunil Ghanvat, National Coordinator of Maharashtra Mandir Mahasangh; Advocate Suresh Kaudare, President of Bhimashankar Jyotirling Devasthan; Anup Jaiswal (Amravati), a core team member of the Mandir Mahasangh and Vidarbha Devasthan Samiti; H.B.P. Dattatray Maharaj Chorge (Pune); Dattatray Kaudare (Pune); Vilas Sawant (Sindhudurg); Shivram Desai (Sindhudurg); Vijay Patil (Thane); Prakash Chalke (Khed, Ratnagiri); Suresh Bhovane (Mandangad, Ratnagiri); Mahesh Katre (Sangameshwar); Sagar Chopdar (Mumbai), Coordinator for Mumbai, Thane, and Raigad; Arvind Pansare; Ravindra Nalavade; and Satish Sonar, along with trustees and temple representatives from major temple trusts in Mumbai, Pune, Vidarbha, Western Maharashtra, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg districts.

According to numerous Supreme Court and High Court rulings, agricultural lands donated by kings, royals, and others for temple worship and activities cannot be sold by priests, servitors, trustees, or third parties, nor can they be transferred to anyone else’s name. It is the responsibility of the government and the judiciary to protect these lands. Despite this, thousands of acres of land belonging to many temple trusts in the state have been and continue to be illegally sold. Currently, only civil suits can be filed in such matters. However, to stop these activities, many states like Gujarat, Karnataka, Assam, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu have enacted ‘Anti-Land Grabbing Acts’ that impose criminal penalties. The absence of such strict criminal laws in Maharashtra has emboldened the land mafia. Evidence was presented to the government, highlighting that the Supreme Court has also issued orders to create such laws.

Directives to Submit a Proposal for an Independent Board of Trustees for Sindhudurg Temples!

In 1969, 245 temple trusts from the Sindhudurg district were transferred to the ‘Paschim Maharashtra Devasthan Vyavasthapan Samiti’ (Western Maharashtra Temple Management Committee). Consequently, the traditional priests and servitors of temples in Sindhudurg have to frequently travel 150 km to Kolhapur for temple-related work. They receive no assistance from the temple committee. Minister of State Ashish Jaiswal took note of these and many other difficulties. He directed the Principal Secretary of the Law and Judiciary Department to submit a proposal to free the temple trusts of Sindhudurg from the Paschim Maharashtra Devasthan Vyavasthapan Samiti and to appoint an independent board of trustees under the Charity Commissioner.

Order to Investigate Encroached Temple Lands in Konkan!

During the meeting, the Maharashtra Mandir Mahasangh brought to light a serious issue where thousands of acres of land in the Konkan region of Ratnagiri, known as ‘Devrai’ and ‘Devrahati’, were removed from the 7/12 extracts of the temple trusts and illegally registered in the name of the Maharashtra government. This practice has been ongoing since 2018, based on a misinterpretation of a Supreme Court ruling concerning unauthorized places of worship. In response, Minister of State Jaiswal ordered a survey to determine from how many 7/12 extracts the temple trusts’ names were removed and how much land they originally owned. He also instructed the Charity Commissioner to conduct an inquiry into the matter. He reassured the temple trustees, stating that no one will be allowed to act outside the law.