Suspended Badrinath temple committee employee arrested in alleged donation theft case

Pramod Nautiyal, the former personal assistant to the chairman of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC), was arrested by Uttarakhand Police in connection with alleged irregularities in the handling of donations at the Badrinath temple.

Nautiyal was arrested from his residence in Dehradun on Sunday night by Chamoli Police and taken to Badrinath for questioning, officials said.

He was suspended after a preliminary internal inquiry found prima facie evidence of irregularities in the management of temple donations. A four-member BKTC panel reportedly concluded that the allegations against him warranted further investigation.

According to police, CCTV footage allegedly shows Nautiyal repeatedly entering and leaving the temple’s donation counting room and concealing cash, gold and silver coins, shaligram stones, and offering envelopes. Investigators claim the footage also captured him allegedly removing bundles of ₹500 and ₹100 notes and other valuables from the counting area.

The investigation began after discrepancies were detected during the counting of devotees’ offerings on July 2. Authorities alleged that cash had been removed from the counting room without following prescribed procedures.

The Uttarakhand government has constituted a three-member high-level committee to probe the matter, while the case is also being investigated by the police, a Special Investigation Team (SIT), and the BKTC’s departmental inquiry panel.

Meanwhile, Nautiyal has challenged his suspension and the FIR against him in the Uttarakhand High Court, which is scheduled to hear his petition on July 17. The case has also sparked political reactions, with the Congress citing the allegations to question the BJP government over the management of temple offerings.