# Key to Kalighat Temple's Jewellery Locker Missing for 46 Years, Kolkata's Zamindar Family Moves Court

> The key to a bank locker holding the deity's jewellery at Kolkata's Kalighat Temple has been missing since 1980, according to the temple's former zamindar family, the Sabarna Roychowdhurys, who have moved court over the treasure's safety.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Religion · **Published:** 2026-09-08 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/religion/46-sala-se-lapata-hai-kalighat-ki-devi-ke-jevaron-vale-lokara-ki-chabi-sabarna-roychowdhury-parivara-pahuncha-adalata-29409 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Kalighat Temple, Sabarna Roychowdhury, Kolkata, temple treasure scam, Devarshi Roychowdhury, West Bengal

A dispute has erupted over the treasure of Kolkata's revered Kalighat Temple in West Bengal, with allegations of a financial scam and irregularities running into more than Rs 1,000 crore. The city's former zamindar family has now taken the matter to court, demanding legal action to protect the deity's jewellery and valuables.

## The Sabarna Roychowdhury Family's Concerns
The Sabarna Roychowdhury family, Kolkata's former zamindars, has raised serious concerns over the safety of the treasure kept inside Kalighat Temple. According to the family, a locker was designated at a government bank specifically to secure the deity's jewellery and valuables, but the key to that locker has been missing since 1980, meaning it has now been untraceable for more than 46 years. The family claims the treasure inside is worth close to Rs 100 crore, and has filed a petition in court demanding legal action over its safety.

## What the Family Council's Secretary Claims
Devarshi Roychowdhury, secretary of the Sabarna Roy Choudhury Family Council, said the locker was specifically created to protect the temple's property and the deity's jewellery. But for nearly four decades, there has been no trace of the key. Before the court, the family has posed a direct question: where are the deity's precious belongings right now, and are they actually safe? The family has also filed a written complaint over the matter.

## Allegations Against the Property Oversight Committee
In another serious allegation, the family says the committee responsible for maintaining accounts of the temple's properties has also seen its term expire, with no fresh arrangement put in place since. The Sabarna Roychowdhury family has questioned the temple's assets and treasure for a long time, and has now formally raised in court why no account of the jewellery has been given for so many years.

## The Religious Significance of Kalighat Temple
Kalighat Temple stands on the banks of the Adi Ganga in Kolkata, West Bengal, and is regarded as one of the 51 Shakti Peethas associated with Goddess Sati. According to belief, the toe and fingers of Sati's right foot fell at this spot. The temple also houses a distinctive idol of Goddess Kali featuring a long golden tongue. This religious and historical significance is precisely what makes the temple's treasure so valuable, and the questions over its safekeeping all the more serious.

## What Happens Next
What action follows will now depend entirely on the court's order. The Sabarna Roychowdhury family wants clear answers, and soon, on the missing key, the current status of the deity's jewellery, and the lapsed committee term.

## What this means for you
This dispute doesn't hit readers' wallets directly, but it raises real questions about trust and transparency in how temple donations and treasures are managed.

- **Across India:** Trusts and committees managing major temples nationwide oversee crores of rupees in donations and jewellery. This case shows how accountability can slip for decades when record-keeping and security lapse.
- **In Kolkata:** For devotees and tourists visiting Kalighat Temple, this raises questions about the temple administration's credibility. If a court-ordered probe follows, changes to the temple's security and locker procedures could follow in the coming months.
- **Transparency:** The case could add pressure on other religious trusts across the country to conduct regular audits and security reviews of their own.
- **Legal fallout:** If the court orders an investigation, officials and committee members could be held accountable, potentially leading to new rules to prevent such lapses in future.

## Why this happened
It still isn't clear exactly how or why the locker key went missing back in 1980, and no official explanation has surfaced. The matter is now before the court following the Sabarna Roychowdhury family's complaint.

- **Long-standing ties:** The Sabarna Roychowdhurys are Kolkata's former zamindar family who have questioned Kalighat Temple's assets and treasure for years, which is why they formally took the issue to court.
- **Lapsed oversight:** According to the family, the committee that maintained accounts of the temple's properties has already seen its term expire, leaving no clear responsibility for monitoring the locker and jewellery.
- **Unconfirmed cause:** Whether the key's disappearance was an accident, negligence or a deliberate oversight has not been confirmed.
- **What's next:** The case now rests entirely on the court's order, which will determine the direction of any investigation.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. Since when has the key to Kalighat Temple's locker been missing?
According to the allegation, the key has been missing since 1980, meaning it has been untraceable for more than 46 years.

### 2. How did this matter reach court?
Kolkata's former zamindar family, the Sabarna Roychowdhurys, raised concerns over the temple treasure's safety and filed a petition along with a written complaint in court.

### 3. What is the family's main allegation?
The family alleges the bank locker key meant for the deity's jewellery has been missing for decades and that there could be financial irregularities of more than Rs 1,000 crore in temple management.

### 4. Who is the secretary of the Sabarna Roy Choudhury Family Council?
Devarshi Roychowdhury is the secretary of the Sabarna Roy Choudhury Family Council, who made this claim.

### 5. What allegation has been made about the committee overseeing temple property?
The family says the committee responsible for maintaining accounts of the temple's properties has already seen its term expire.

### 6. What is Kalighat Temple known for?
It is regarded as one of the 51 Shakti Peethas of Goddess Sati, and its idol of Goddess Kali features a long golden tongue.

### 7. What happens next?
Further action will depend entirely on the court's order.

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