Badrinath Donation Theft Case Reaches High Court as Suspended Staffer Challenges FIR, Report Says

Current Summary

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is examining CCTV footage, call records and witness statements in the probe into alleged irregularities in Badrinath temple donation offerings. The first arrest in the case has been made: suspended Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) employee Pramod Nautiyal was arrested over the donation 'irregularities', according to Moneycontrol and other outlets on July 13, with the suspended official set to be produced in court the same day, per ANI News. Mid-day reports that Nautiyal was arrested from Dehradun. India Today reported on July 13 that the arrested employee is considered the prime accused and that the money trail linked to the alleged theft is now under scanner, though specific transactions or accounts have not been detailed. SIT investigators have recovered a Shaligram stone and a laptop from Nautiyal, and have separately recovered details of hidden offerings, including concealed cash, according to a Bhaskar English report published July 13, and have sought his police custody, according to ANI News on July 13. It is unclear whether this is the same suspended employee who separately moved the Uttarakhand High Court challenging an FIR and his suspension, with that plea set to be heard July 16. ANI News had earlier reported that the SIT has recorded statements from five witnesses and that the Temple Committee has been asked to submit three years of bank records. The Uttarakhand government has separately directed the BKTC CEO to take action against officials found responsible for the irregularities; the specific officials named and the scope of the action have not been detailed. Livemint.com had earlier reported that CCTV footage shows the accused allegedly stealing both cash and gold coins. Swami Kailashanand and NCBC chairperson Jyoti have publicly called for strict action in the case. A three-member government committee has been formed to probe the alleged misuse of donations at Badrinath; its members, terms of reference and timeline have not been detailed. The amount of donation money allegedly involved, the specific charges against Nautiyal, the court where he will be produced, the outcome of the police custody request, and whether this arrest is linked to the earlier High Court challenge remain unclear. The Badrinath shrine in Chamoli district is one of the Char Dham temples and receives substantial donations from pilgrims; its affairs are managed by the BKTC.

What Changed

• 13 Jul, 04:01 pm
  Investigators in the Badrinath donation theft case have recovered details of hidden offerings, including concealed cash, from arrested suspended BKTC employee Pramod Nautiyal, according to a Bhaskar English report published July 13. This adds to the earlier reported recovery of a Shaligram stone and a laptop.
• 13 Jul, 10:31 am
  SIT investigators have recovered a Shaligram stone and a laptop from suspended BKTC employee Pramod Nautiyal, the prime accused in the Badrinath donation theft case, and have sought his police custody, per ANI News.
• 13 Jul, 09:31 am
  India Today reported on July 13 that the arrested suspended BKTC employee is considered the prime accused in the case and that the money trail linked to the alleged theft is now under scanner. This corroborates the earlier-reported arrest of Pramod Nautiyal but does not detail the specific transactions or accounts being examined.
• 13 Jul, 09:20 am
  Mid-day reports that the SIT arrested suspended BKTC employee Pramod Nautiyal from Dehradun in connection with the Badrinath temple donation irregularities case.
• 13 Jul, 06:01 am
  First arrest made in the Badrinath donation irregularities case: suspended BKTC employee Pramod Nautiyal has been arrested and is set to be produced in court today, per multiple reports.
• 12 Jul, 04:31 pm
  Swami Kailashanand and National Commission for Backward Classes chairperson Jyoti have called for strict action in the Badrinath donation theft case, according to an indiagazette.com report published on July 12. Their specific demands and any connection to the ongoing SIT and government committee probes have not been detailed.
• 12 Jul, 10:20 am
  The Uttarakhand government has directed the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee's CEO to take action against officials found responsible for the alleged donation irregularities, ANI News reported on the morning of July 12. The specific officials named, the scope of the action ordered, and the timeline for compliance have not been detailed.
• 12 Jul, 09:00 am
  The SIT investigating alleged Badrinath donation irregularities has recorded statements from five witnesses, and the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee has been asked to submit three years of bank records, ANI News reported on the morning of July 12. The identities of the witnesses, what they told investigators, and the specific bank accounts or transactions under scrutiny have not been detailed.
• 12 Jul, 07:30 am
  CCTV footage examined by the SIT is reported to show the accused 'suspiciously stealing' both cash and gold coins, according to a livemint.com report on the morning of July 12, adding detail to earlier ANI News and indiagazette.com reports that referenced only cash.
• 12 Jul, 07:22 am
  Police, citing the SIT probe, say CCTV footage shows the accused 'suspiciously stealing' cash from Badrinath donation collections, and call records are being examined, per indiagazette.com and ANI News reports from the night of July 11 into early July 12.
• 11 Jul, 04:20 pm
  A Special Investigation Team (SIT) will record statements of Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) members and collect CCTV footage as part of the probe into alleged irregularities in Badrinath temple offerings, ANI News reported on the afternoon of July 11. This is the first indication that an SIT is handling the police investigation. The composition of the SIT, which BKTC members will be questioned, the period of CCTV footage sought, and how the SIT's work relates to the three-member government committee announced earlier have not been detailed.
• 11 Jul, 11:30 am
  A three-member government committee has been formed to probe the alleged misuse of donations at Badrinath, India TV News reported on the morning of July 11. The members of the committee, its terms of reference, the timeline for its report, and how the probe relates to the existing FIR and the suspended BKTC staffer's High Court challenge have not been detailed.
• 11 Jul, 07:20 am
  ANI News reports that the Uttarakhand High Court will hear the suspended BKTC employee's plea on July 16, corroborating the earlier News Mill report of the hearing date. ANI adds that the plea challenges both the FIR and the employee's suspension in connection with alleged donation irregularities at Badrinath Dham.
• 11 Jul, 06:10 am
  The New Indian Express reported on the morning of July 11 that a suspended Badrinath temple employee has moved the Uttarakhand High Court in connection with the alleged theft of temple offerings. This corroborates earlier reports by ETV Bharat and News Mill that the case has reached the High Court, with a hearing reported to be listed for July 16. The staffer's identity, the amount involved, and the grounds of the challenge remain undetailed.
• 11 Jul, 06:00 am
  The Uttarakhand High Court will hear the suspended employee's plea on July 16, The News Mill reported on the morning of July 11. The report identifies the staffer as an employee of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC), consistent with the earlier ETV Bharat report on the donation theft case. The identity of the employee, the grounds of the challenge to the FIR, and the amount alleged to have been stolen remain undetailed.
• 10 Jul, 05:40 pm
  Signal detected: Badrinath Donation Theft Case Reaches High Court as Suspended Staffer Challenges FIR, Report Says

Background

The Badrinath shrine in Chamoli district is one of the Char Dham temples and receives substantial pilgrim donations, managed under the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee.