Amid Ayodhya row, handling of Badrinath donations under probe, office staffer suspended

3 min readDehradunUpdated: Jul 7, 2026 09:52 PM IST

The Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has taken disciplinary action by suspending Pramod Nautiyal, a personal assistant posted in the chairman's office. (File Photo)

A staffer in the office of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee chairman has been suspended following allegations of irregularities in the handling of donations and offerings at Badrinath Dham.

The Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has taken disciplinary action by suspending Pramod Nautiyal, a personal assistant posted in the chairman’s office.

According to the order issued by the committee, a show-cause notice was served to Nautiyal on July 3, after allegations of irregularities in the discharge of his official duties came to light. A four-member inquiry committee was constituted to investigate the matter. The preliminary report of the inquiry committee, along with the explanation by Nautiyal, purportedly found the allegations prima facie substantiated. In its report, the committee recommended disciplinary action against the employee and said that allowing him to continue in his present post could potentially influence or hamper the investigation.

Nautiyal has been attached to the BKTC office in Joshimath in Chamoli. During this period, he will not be permitted to leave the headquarters without prior approval from the competent authority and will be required to extend full cooperation in the inquiry and disciplinary proceedings, a communication from the government said.

The allegations and the action on its heels come days after allegations of donation embezzlement at the Ayodhya temple.

High-level probe

Speaking to The Indian Express, BKTC chairman Hemant Dwivedi said, “The man suspended has been an employee during the term of three former chairpersons. Currently, this action was taken so that no tampering can be done during the investigation. The investigation is ongoing to ascertain the level of misappropriation in the counting centre where he had been placed.”

Following the action, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed the constitution of a “high-level committee” to probe complaints related to donations at Badrinath Temple. The Uttarakhand government has constituted a three-member high-level committee to conduct a detailed inquiry, which will be headed by the Garhwal Divisional Commissioner Anand Swaroop. Its other members are Sandeep Tiwari, Managing Director of the National Health Mission, and Jagat Singh Chauhan, Director (Finance) in the office of the Director General, Medical and Health Department.

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According to an order issued by Tourism Secretary Dhiraj Singh Garbyal, the committee will look into the irregularities in the collection of donations and offerings received at the temple. It has been directed to submit its inquiry report along with its recommendations to the state government within 15 days.

A BKTC official had said Dehradun-based outfit Bhairav Sena had alleged that an employee at Shri Badrinath Dham was embezzling donation money and offerings. The BKTC has also sought responses from the employees looking after the donation counting, he had said.

Aiswarya Raj is a Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, covering Uttarakhand. She brings sound journalistic experience to her role, having started her career at the organisation as a sub-editor with the Delhi city team. She subsequently developed her reporting expertise by covering Gurugram and its neighbouring districts before transitioning to her current role as a resident correspondent in Dehradun. She is an alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ) and the University of Kerala.

She has reported on the state politics, governance, environment and wildlife, and gender. Aiswarya has undertaken investigations using the Right to Information Act on law enforcement, public policy and procurement rules in Uttarakhand. She has also attempted narrative journalism on socio-economic matters affecting local communities.

This specific, sustained focus on critical regional news provides the necessary foundation for high trustworthiness and authoritativeness on topics concerning Uttarakhand. ... Read More

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