Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Shri Tuljabhavani Temple management in Dharashiv district on Thursday imposed a five-year entry ban on two priests after they were allegedly caught on camera demanding money from devotees to arrange out-of-turn darshan.
The two priests are part of the temple’s long list of pujaris. According to the temple management, a devotee secretly recorded a video, in which the two were allegedly asking for money to facilitate direct darshan, bypassing the regular queue.
The issue surfaced after the clip circulated on social media last week, triggering complaints that devotees were being exploited under the pretext of offering quicker access to darshan. Following this, the Shri Tuljabhavani Temple Trust conducted an inquiry and decided to bar both the priests from entering the temple premises for five years.
The temple administration has also informed the Tuljapur police station and requested that a criminal case be registered against the two priests. Dharashiv collector Keerthi Kiran Pujar told TOI, “The administration will adopt a strict approach to prevent such misconduct. Any attempt to collect money illegally for VIP or out-of-turn darshan will not be tolerated and invite strict disciplinary action.”
Temple officials reiterated their commitment to protecting devotees from exploitation and ensuring that all religious services were conducted only through authorised systems. “To prevent such incidents, the trust has set up a special monitoring squad that regularly inspects the premises and keeps watch for unauthorised activities,” an official said.
The officials said strict action would continue against anyone found collecting money in the name of darshan or engaging in unauthorised practices. Devotees have been urged not to pay money to individuals promising special access and to report any such incidents to the temple administration. They warned that misuse of religious faith for personal gain would result in severe consequences, including criminal proceedings.
