Overview

• Delivering a 38-page order on October 10, a division bench directed that every rupee donated to temples be spent only on religious purposes or dharmic charity.
• The court prohibited diversion of donations to welfare schemes or unrelated public works, including roads, bridges, public buildings, official vehicles, and VIP gifts.
• Judges mandated monthly public disclosure of income, expenditure, funded projects, and audit summaries, with annual audits for all temples.
• The ruling allows disaster relief only when provided directly by the temple trust in the temple’s name, not via government funds or intermediaries.
• The case arose from a petition under the 1984 Act and carries political weight after BJP allegations about seeking temple money for state schemes, which the government denied.