Mumbai: Babulnath Temple's Land Lease Renewed For 30 Years By Maharashtra Govt At Just ₹1, Pending Rent Waived After Trustee’s Appeal

Mumbai: In a key decision benefiting one of the city’s oldest and most revered temples, the Maharashtra government has renewed the lease on a portion of land within the Babulnath Temple complex for 30 years at a token rent of Re 1. The decision was approved during the state cabinet meeting held on Thursday, resolving a matter that had been pending for more than a decade.

The Babulnath Temple, situated on a sprawling 5,677 sq m plot, has 718 sq m of that land under lease to the Babulnath Temple Charity Trust since 1901. The lease renewal, which was due since 2012, had remained stuck in bureaucratic delays. The state has now cleared the proposal, ensuring uninterrupted access for devotees and continuity for the historic temple’s administration.

According to a Hindustan Times report, along with the lease renewal, the cabinet also approved a waiver of Rs 34.57 lakh that the trust was being asked to pay as rent arrears for the period between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2021. The Mumbai city collector had issued a communication in February 2022 seeking the recovery of this amount. However, the trust maintained that the land was not used commercially and that the rent demand was based on an inappropriate classification.

The trust’s plea gained momentum after Nitin Thakkar, one of the temple trustees, wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in May 2025 requesting intervention. In his letter, Thakkar explained that the plot in question served solely as an access pathway for devotees visiting the temple.

Charging rent at commercial rates, he argued, was unjustified and imposed an undue burden on a religious institution operating for public benefit. The state cabinet accepted the reasoning and granted a full waiver, citing the land’s non-commercial purpose and the temple's long-standing public service role.

In a separate request, Thakkar also urged the government to consider converting the leased land into freehold property, which would transfer full ownership to the trust. However, this proposal is unlikely to be approved. The Mumbai collector, in his earlier communication, clarified that the current freehold policy restricts conversion to plots reserved exclusively for residential, commercial, or industrial purposes. Land associated with religious use does not fall under these categories, making freehold conversion impermissible.

For now, the lease renewal secures the temple’s access and operations for the next three decades, offering clarity and relief to thousands of devotees who visit the sacred shrine every day.

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