Badrinath Temple donation row: BKTC treasurer transferred, 18-page probe report submitted
Synopsis
A four-member inquiry team has handed the BKTC CEO an 18-page report reportedly detailing repeated theft of devotee offerings at Badrinath Temple — even as the CEO insists the silver discrepancy may be a clerical error and defends the treasurer's transfer as precautionary, not punitive.
Key Takeaways
BKTC CEO Sohan Singh Rangad confirmed the temple committee's treasurer has been transferred — not removed — amid an inquiry into donation irregularities at Badrinath Temple, Chamoli .
An investigation found silver articles in the double-lock room were more than register entries, which the CEO attributed to possible human or clerical error.
A four-member departmental inquiry team has submitted an 18-page report to the CEO, with preliminary findings reportedly indicating theft of offerings occurred on multiple occasions .
Pramod Nautiyal , a personal assistant in the Chairman's office, was suspended on 7 July as part of the broader administrative action.
Allegations of missing donated ambulances and laptops were denied by the CEO, who provided account of all three ambulances and confirmed laptops remain with employees.
The Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) has transferred its treasurer amid an ongoing inquiry into alleged irregularities in the management of devotee donations at the Badrinath Temple in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. BKTC Chief Executive Officer Sohan Singh Rangad confirmed the development on Wednesday, 15 July, clarifying that the treasurer was not removed from service but reassigned given the sensitive nature of the matter.
What the CEO Said
Rangad addressed the controversy directly, stating: 'The Treasurer has not been removed; he has been transferred.' He explained that an internal investigation team had flagged a discrepancy between the silver articles stored in the double-lock room and the corresponding entries in the official register. Notably, the physical material recovered was more than what was recorded — not less.
'Had it been less than what was recorded, I would have said that some of it had been taken out,' Rangad said, suggesting the anomaly could be a clerical or human error, possibly an overwriting in the register. 'Keeping in view the sensitive nature of the matter, the Treasurer has been transferred,' he added.
Ambulance and Laptop Allegations Denied
The BKTC CEO also pushed back against separate allegations that donated laptops and an ambulance had gone missing from temple custody. He clarified that the committee holds three ambulances: one was declared surplus and auctioned through due process in 2016, a second was formally handed over to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Rudraprayag, and the third remains stationed at Ukhimath.
On the laptops, Rangad said a probe confirmed they were distributed to employees and remain in their possession. 'After conducting a probe, we found that those are still with the employees,' he stated.
Key Findings of the Inquiry Report
The four-member departmental inquiry team constituted to investigate the alleged misappropriation of offerings at Shri Badrinath Dham has completed its investigation and submitted its findings to the CEO. The preliminary findings, according to sources, purportedly indicate that theft of devotees' offerings and valuables occurred not once but on multiple occasions. The inquiry team has documented the entire sequence of events in an 18-page report.
This comes amid a broader administrative crackdown at the BKTC. On 7 July, the committee suspended Pramod Nautiyal, a personal assistant posted in the Chairman's office, with immediate effect — citing the need to uphold discipline and administrative transparency.
Background and Significance
The Badrinath Temple, one of the Char Dham pilgrimage sites and among the most visited shrines in India, receives substantial donations and offerings from millions of devotees each year. The BKTC, a statutory body under the Uttarakhand government, is responsible for administering both the Badrinath and Kedarnath temples. Any allegation of financial irregularity at such a high-profile religious institution carries significant public and political weight.
The matter is expected to draw scrutiny from the state government, with the full inquiry report now in the CEO's hands and further administrative action likely to follow.
Point of View
The question is not just why it was under-recorded, but who had access and why reconciliation was never flagged earlier. The 18-page inquiry report reportedly pointing to repeated incidents of offering theft is the more consequential detail, and the CEO's measured language should not obscure that. Temple trust bodies in India have historically operated with limited external audit. This case may test whether the Uttarakhand government is willing to enforce genuine accountability at a shrine that handles crores in devotee donations annually.
NationPress
15 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was the BKTC treasurer transferred?
The BKTC treasurer was transferred following an internal investigation that found a discrepancy between silver articles stored in the double-lock room at Badrinath Temple and the entries in the official register. CEO Sohan Singh Rangad said the transfer was a precautionary measure given the sensitive nature of the matter, and clarified the treasurer was not removed from service.
What did the 18-page inquiry report find?
According to sources, the four-member departmental inquiry team's 18-page report purportedly indicates that theft of devotees' offerings and valuables at Shri Badrinath Dham occurred on multiple occasions, not just once. The full report has been submitted to the BKTC CEO.
Were the donated ambulances and laptops actually missing?
The BKTC CEO denied the allegations. He said all three ambulances are accounted for — one was auctioned in 2016 after being declared surplus, one was handed to CMO Rudraprayag, and one is at Ukhimath. Donated laptops were confirmed to still be with employees following an internal probe.
Who else faced action in the Badrinath Temple irregularity case?
On 7 July, the BKTC suspended Pramod Nautiyal, a personal assistant posted in the Chairman's office, with immediate effect. The committee cited the need to uphold discipline and administrative transparency.
What is the BKTC and why does this matter?
The Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) is a statutory body under the Uttarakhand government that administers the Badrinath and Kedarnath temples, two of India's most prominent Char Dham pilgrimage sites. Allegations of financial irregularity at institutions that handle large volumes of devotee donations carry significant public trust implications.
