DEHRADUN: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has completed its probe into the alleged theft of offerings at Badrinath temple and filed a nearly 1,000-page charge sheet before a court, naming three accused. The charge sheet was submitted on Friday and is based on statements from 50 witnesses. After examining the documents, the court took cognisance of the case and directed that proceedings be initiated against all three. The next hearing is scheduled for October 22.
At the court in Jyotirmath, In-charge Judicial Magistrate Hina Kauser reviewed the prosecution’s charge sheet and supporting records. The court found a prima facie case against Pramod Nautiyal, then a protocol officer; Rajendra Singh Chauhan, a retired temple officer; and security guard Manoj Kumar, and took cognisance of the charges.
According to the prosecution, officials overseeing the counting of cash and gifts placed in the temple’s donation trays were responsible for depositing them into the temple committee’s account in accordance with prescribed rules. Nautiyal and Chauhan allegedly conspired to divert part of the cash and offerings for their personal use, amounting to misappropriation.
Kumar, meanwhile, is accused of stealing offerings while they were being counted. The prosecution said the allegedly stolen items were recovered from him, along with money said to have been obtained from their sale. The allegations are yet to be tested at trial.
Nautiyal and Chauhan are currently lodged in Pusardi district jail in Chamoli. The court issued warrants remanding both in judicial custody. Kumar, who is out on bail, has been summoned to appear before the court as the case proceeds.
The court’s order follows the filing of the SIT report after investigators examined the handling of donations and gifts received at the shrine. The prosecution’s case centres on alleged irregularities in the counting, custody and deposit of offerings. The charge sheet sets out the evidence relied upon by investigators, including witness statements and records submitted to the magistrate.
Welcoming the SIT’s action, Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee chairman Hemant Dwivedi told TNIE, “To uphold the temple’s dignity, sanctity and transparency in donations, the committee will not hesitate to take the strictest steps in the future.”