Badrinath Donation Row: Temple Staffer Suspended, Dhami Govt Orders High-Level Probe

Published 8 July 2026 · india

Badrinath Donation Row: Temple Staffer Suspended, Dhami Govt Orders High-Level Probe Written By, Last Updated: July 08, 2026, 07:54 IST The allegations gained attention after

Badrinath Donation Row: Temple Staffer Suspended, Dhami Govt Orders High-Level Probe Written By, Last Updated: July 08, 2026, 07:54 IST The allegations gained attention after a complaint claimed that money offered by pilgrims was being diverted by employees instead of being deposited through the proper procedure Rapid Read The Badrinath Temple, one of the four shrines of the Char Dham Yatra and among Hinduism's holiest pilgrimage sites, receives lakhs of devotees every year. (Pexels) The Uttarakhand government has ordered a high-level inquiry into alleged irregularities in donations and offerings at the revered Badrinath Temple, even as the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) suspended one of its employees and lodged an FIR in connection with the case. Acting on the directions of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the state government constituted a three-member committee to investigate the allegations and recommend measures to improve transparency and accountability in the temple’s donation management system. The inquiry committee will be headed by Garhwal Commissioner Anand Swaroop. Its other members are Sandeep Tiwari, managing director, Health Mission (NHM), Uttarakhand, and Jagat Singh Chauhan, director (finance), Office of the Director General, Medical & Health Department.

According to the government, the panel has been given wide powers to seek assistance from officials, financial experts and other specialists during the investigation. Besides examining the alleged irregularities, it has also been tasked with suggesting reforms to strengthen the transparency, efficiency and accountability of the donation management system at one of India’s most visited pilgrimage sites. Temple Employee Suspended, FIR Registered In a parallel administrative action, the BKTC suspended Pramod Nautiyal, a personal assistant posted in the chairman’s office, with immediate effect. The temple committee has also lodged an FIR against him as part of the ongoing investigation. Officials said the action was taken to ensure a fair and impartial probe while the allegations are examined. The controversy erupted after allegations surfaced that cash donations offered by devotees at the Badrinath Temple may have been siphoned off before they were officially deposited in the temple’s donation boxes or treasury. The allegations gained attention after a complaint claimed that money offered by pilgrims was allegedly being diverted by certain employees instead of being deposited through the prescribed procedure.