DEHRADUN — In a major administrative crackdown at one of India’s holiest pilgrimage sites, an official of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has been placed under immediate suspension following allegations of financial irregularities and theft during the counting of cash offerings at the Badrinath Dham.
The structural crisis has prompted both the statutory temple board and the Uttarakhand state government to launch parallel, high-level investigations.
1. Initial Suspension and Internal BKTC Probe
The disciplinary action was confirmed by BKTC Chairman Hemant Dwivedi, who reiterated a zero-tolerance policy toward financial malfeasance within the holy shrines:
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The Suspended Official: Pramod Nautiyal, who was serving as a Private Secretary within the temple committee, was suspended after a preliminary internal inquiry established prima facie evidence of his involvement in the irregularities.
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The Internal Panel: The suspension follows the deployment of a specialized four-member internal BKTC investigative team formed last week. The panel comprises top administrative and financial minds:
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Hem Kandpal (Finance Controller)
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SS Bartwal (Legal Officer)
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Rajan Naithani (Chief Administrative Officer)
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DS Bhujwan (Senior Administrative Officer, Kedarnath)
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Evidence Review: The internal committee has officially initiated its probe by reviewing digital CCTV logs from the donation counting halls, examining financial ledgers, and recording statements from on-duty temple employees.
2. State-Level Escalation: Dhami Government Orders SIT
As public outrage mounted over the alleged desecration of fiscal transparency at the Himalayan shrine, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stepped in to bypass local bottlenecks, ordering an independent state-level inquiry.
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SIT Leadership: The state government has constituted a high-powered three-member probe committee headed directly by the Garhwal Division Commissioner.
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Strict Deadline: The Commissioner-led panel has been given a strict 15-day window to conclude its investigation, compile evidence, and submit definitive recommendations for criminal prosecution to the state home department.
3. Genesis of the Complaint
The controversy erupted after videos and allegations regarding the mismanagement and skimming of devotee offerings during the counting process circulated heavily across social media platforms.
Following the digital leak, a local religious socio-cultural outfit named ‘Bhairav Sena’ filed a formal administrative complaint demanding immediate systemic accountability, a thorough forensic audit of the seasonal collection counters, and the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against compromised staffers.
4. Political Fallout and Opposition Blowback
The timing of the scandal has handed potent political ammunition to the opposition, coming on the heels of similar allegations of offering theft reported at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Seizing on the development, Uttarakhand Congress President Ganesh Godiyal launched a sharp offensive against the Dhami-led BJP administration. Rejecting the state-appointed bureaucrat panel, Godiyal demanded either an independent judicial inquiry led by a sitting High Court judge or a Joint Legislative Assembly Committee probe to map the full extent of institutional vulnerabilities across Uttarakhand’s major Char Dham shrines.
