DEHRADUN: A high-level inquiry ordered by the Uttarakhand government into the alleged irregularities surrounding the gold plating of the sanctum sanctorum of Kedarnath Dham has found no wrongdoing by the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC). The investigation, headed by Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey, stated clearly that the 'BKTC neither purchased nor installed the gold itself.'
Instead, the committee provided necessary cooperation to the donor facilitating the work, as directed by the state government. RTI activist Anil Semwal had sought details from the State's Tourism and Religious Affairs Department regarding the gold plating of Kedarnath temple's sanctum sanctorum under various points. In response, the Tourism Department has sent the applicant the correspondence pending at the government level and the investigation report of the Garhwal Commissioner.
Commissioner Pandey, appointed as the inquiry officer, conducted a site inspection and reviewed the records. In his final report, he noted, "The entire process followed established protocols."
The report details the meticulous procedure. Prior to the commencement of work, teams from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and CBRI, Roorkee, inspected the 'garbhagriha' (sanctum). They deemed the work appropriate, provided certain conditions were met. The donor, Dilip Lakhi, through his authorised jeweller, first removed the existing silver plates from the inner walls.
"Approximately 230 kg of silver plates were safely stored in the temple treasury by the BKTC," the report confirmed. Copper templates were then installed on the walls for measurement, taken back to Delhi, coated with gold foil, and returned under heavy security. The installation of the gold-plated plates was carried out under strict police and BKTC supervision.
Documents submitted by the donor list the gold foil weight at 23.777 kg. The temple committee has officially recorded this stock.
The sequence of events began in August 2022, when the then BKTC President Ajendra Ajay requested necessary action to facilitate the gold plating via a donor. This was followed by a letter from the donor himself in September 2022, leading to administrative directives supporting the jeweller firm, James Impex Pvt. Ltd.