Tirumala isn’t just a temple, it’s a financial powerhouse wrapped in saffron and sanctity. Lord Venkateswara’s hundi (donation box) sees over ₹1,000 crores flow in every year, offered by devotees who believe their rupees are headed straight to the divine ledger. But now, the temple’s reputation is caught in a very mortal scandal: allegations of a ₹100 crore theft from the Parakamani (the donation counting centre). And like every great Indian scandal, it has all the masala, missing money, shady settlements, political mudslinging, and even whispers of real estate deals.

The Theft That Wasn’t Supposed to Happen

Last year, a TTD employee, C.V. Ravi Kumar, was caught on CCTV allegedly stuffing foreign currency into his clothes. What could have been a straightforward case of theft spiraled into a mega controversy. Instead of the usual police-court-conviction pipeline, the case was oddly “settled” in a Lok Adalat (people’s court) after Ravi Kumar handed over properties worth several crores to the TTD.

So far, so shady. Critics argue: who lets a temple staffer quietly give up real estate instead of facing trial for stealing god’s money? And how exactly does one man amass properties worth crores while working as a clerk? Cue the political sirens.

The BJP vs YSRCP Blame Game

The BJP and TDP wasted no time. They’ve accused the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) regime (2019–2024) of covering up a massive heist, claiming the real loss is not a few crores but ₹100 crore siphoned off through collusion, hush-ups, and benami property investments. They even allege some money was diverted to the YSRCP leadership’s citadel, Tadepalli Palace.

YSRCP hit back, saying the opposition is weaponising Lord Venkateswara for politics. They insist that assets worth ₹14.43 crore were recovered and duly handed to TTD, dismissing the “₹100 crore” narrative as exaggerated propaganda.

In other words: “We caught a thief and got the money back” vs “You ran a full-blown scam under the cover of faith.”

Why This Scandal Hits Different

Temple donation scams aren’t unheard of. But this one strikes a deeper nerve because Tirupati is no ordinary shrine, it’s one of the world’s richest religious institutions. Devotees don’t just donate money; they donate faith. If hundi collections are tampered with, it’s not just an accounting problem, it’s a betrayal of trust on a cosmic scale.

And then there’s the legal oddity: theft under IPC Section 381 isn’t normally compoundable (i.e., you can’t just “settle” it outside court). So how did this slip into a Lok Adalat? If that process was bent, it sets a dangerous precedent for whitewashing temple corruption.

Politics or Proof?

Here’s the tricky part: there’s no conclusive public audit proving ₹100 crore vanished. What we do know:

  • A staffer was caught stealing.

  • He had suspiciously large assets.

  • There was an unusual Lok Adalat “settlement.”

  • Allegations of systemic collusion are flying thick and fast.

So we’re in that Indian twilight zone where a real scam overlaps with political storytelling. Maybe the theft was smaller but being blown up for electoral ammunition. Or maybe the ₹100 crore figure is closer to reality, but the scale of cover-up means only scraps of evidence are visible.

What Needs to Happen

For once, it’s simple: transparency. An independent audit of hundi collections, full disclosure of settlement documents, and a probe that doesn’t stop at a low-level clerk. If the scandal is real, devotees deserve the truth. If it’s political theatre, devotees still deserve the truth.

Because faith isn’t just a line item on a balance sheet—it’s the glue that holds Tirupati together. And when money meant for god becomes currency for politics, both faith and democracy lose.