Shimla, Oct 15: The Himachal Pradesh High Court has ruled that temple funds cannot be diverted for any government welfare scheme, road construction, or other non-religious projects, observing that the money collected by temples must be spent only for religious, dharmic, or directly related charitable purposes.
A Division Bench of Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Rakesh Kainthla held that temple revenue cannot be treated as general state revenue or used for public works such as bridges, civic infrastructure, or profit-making ventures. The judges directed that every rupee collected by temples be utilised strictly for temple-related activities or the welfare of devotees.
The court also prohibited the use of temple money for running commercial establishments like malls, shops, or hotels unrelated to pilgrim welfare, purchasing vehicles for commissioners or officers (except for temple-related travel reimbursement), buying gifts or prasadam for VIPs, or funding events of other faiths or interfaith programmes.
Emphasising that the deity is recognised as a juristic person under Indian law, the court said temple trustees and officers act only as custodians, and any misuse or diversion of funds would amount to criminal breach of trust, with recovery to be made from those responsible.
To ensure transparency, the court directed that all temples must maintain audited annual accounts, to be displayed publicly on notice boards or websites.
The Bench observed that while India is a secular state following Sarv Dharma Sambhav, the Constitution mandates the state to reform and safeguard Hindu religious institutions. “When state officers act as temple trustees, the state becomes involved in managing and regulating religious functions. Therefore, it is the state’s duty to ensure that donations of devotees are used in consonance with and for the propagation of the true meaning of Hindu dharma,” the judgment stated.
The ruling came on a petition concerning the utilisation of funds belonging to Hindu temples across the state.
