Badrinath donation theft case: Temple employee Pramod Nautiyal arrested

NEW DELHI: Uttarakhand Police has arrested suspended Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) employee Pramod Nautiyal in connection with the alleged donation theft case at Badrinath Dham.Nautiyal has been taken to Badrinath for questioning and will be produced before a court today after the interrogation, police told news agency PTI.The action comes a day after the Uttarakhand government directed the chief executive officer of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) to initiate action against officials and employees found responsible for alleged financial irregularities, following an inquiry into payments made for the accommodation, food and other expenses of VIP guests at the Kedarnath establishment.In a June 25 letter, deputy secretary Anil Kumar Pandey of the Tourism and Religious Affairs Department referred to the inquiry report, which found prima facie evidence that advance funds were released from the temple corpus without approval from the competent authority, amounting to a financial irregularity.The inquiry report questioned the roles of the then Manager, Kedarnath, the then Chief In-charge Officer, Kedarnath, and the then Chief Executive Officer. The government directed the BKTC CEO to take appropriate action against the officials and employees named in the report in accordance with the provisions of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee Act, 1939, and the rules framed under it.The alleged irregularities came to light during the counting of cash offerings made by devotees at the Badrinath temple on July 2. A preliminary inquiry found that cash was allegedly removed from the counting area in violation of established procedures.An FIR was registered at Badrinath Police Station following a complaint by BKTC In-charge Temple Officer Yudhvir Pushpwan. Statements of other BKTC officials, including CCTV control officer Panwar and Harender Kothari, who was present during the counting process, have also been recorded.Meanwhile, Nautiyal has moved the Uttarakhand high court challenging his suspension and the FIR against him. Justice Alok Mehra directed the BKTC to file its response, with the next hearing scheduled for July 16Get the latest India news and live updates. Download the TOI App.