- By Priyanka Koul
- Mon, 20 Jul 2026 12:01 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
- The SIT is investigating by examining treasury records and recovering missing CCTV footage.
- Several temple employees, including officers and a personal assistant have been arrested based on evidence.
- The case began after a saint reported irregularities during the counting of donations on July 2.
Badrinath Donation Theft Row: Amid ongoing allegations of theft and misappropriation of donations and offerings at Badrinath Dham, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is examining documents related to Lord Narayan’s treasury.
Once the examination is complete, the documents will be cross-checked with the actual treasury records. The SIT believes that this process could reveal several significant details.
The SIT is also making efforts to recover 32 days of missing CCTV footage. After the footage is retrieved and examined, action may be taken against several employees allegedly linked to the case.
The SIT had sought three years of records related to the treasury of Lord Badri Vishal from the Badri-Kedar Temple Committee (BKTC). Now that the records have been provided, investigators are closely analysing them. These documents will soon be compared with the treasury records to identify any discrepancies.
The SIT is also preparing to question employees who were allegedly seen in 13 days of CCTV footage removing bundles of Rs 500 notes and jewellery. Meanwhile, BKTC personal assistant Pramod Nautiyal and a retired temple officer have already been arrested in connection with the case.
Earlier, former temple officer Rajendra Singh Chauhan was arrested on Friday after nearly four hours of questioning by the SIT. Investigators took Chauhan into custody and formally arrested him after finding contradictions in his statements and evidence suggesting his involvement in the alleged misappropriation of donations.
The case came to light after a saint alleged irregularities in the handling of donations during the counting of offerings at the shrine on July 2. Following this, an embezzlement case was registered against Nautiyal at the Badrinath police station. He has been accused of misappropriating donations, as well as packets containing gold and silver coins, during the counting process.
An investigation conducted by the Badri-Kedar Temple Committee (BKTC) also found that he had allegedly taken bundles of currency notes and gold and silver items out of the counting area.