Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India]: A criminal case has been registered against Pramod Nautiyal, a Personal Assistant in the Office of the Chairman of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC), following allegations of illegal diversion of temple offerings.
The FIR was lodged at the Badrinath Police Station under Sections 306 and 316(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. The complaint, filed by the BKTC, accused Nautiyal of unlawfully misappropriating temple funds for personal gain.
The allegations stem from an incident on July 2, during the counting of offerings from the Thali Bhent (donation plate). A preliminary inquiry by the committee established that temple funds were surreptitiously removed from the donation counting centre during a 30-minute window between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m.
Following these prima facie findings, the BKTC moved to suspend Nautiyal from his position before pursuing formal legal action. Authorities are now investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident as they look to secure the integrity of the temple’s donation process.
Earlier, the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) also took a significant step to uphold administrative transparency and discipline by suspending Pramod Nautiyal, Personal Assistant posted in the Chairman’s Office, with immediate effect.
According to an order issued by the Committee, a show-cause notice was served on Nautiyal on July 3, after prima facie allegations of serious irregularities in the discharge of his official duties came to light. A four-member inquiry committee was simultaneously constituted to conduct a fair and detailed investigation into the matter.
