In the alleged Shri Badrinath Dham temple offering theft case, all pension and retirement benefits of retired temple official Rajendra Chauhan, who has been arrested in connection with the case, have been withheld.
Arrested employee Pramod Nautiyal will receive only the monthly subsistence allowance as per rules, Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) CEO Sohan Singh Rangar confirmed.
Chauhan was arrested by the Uttarakhand Police following an investigation into the alleged theft of donations from the temple. On July 18, he was remanded to 14 days of judicial custody by a court in Chamoli district as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) intensified its probe. Police conducted raids at Chauhan’s premises in the Badrinath Dham area, leading to the recovery of foreign currencies, expensive saffron and other materials.
Pramod Nautiyal, who was arrested in Dehradun on the night of July 12, has been remanded to four days of police custody by the Judicial Magistrate at Jyotirmath. The SIT has also received an 18-page internal inquiry report prepared by the BKTC as part of the investigation.
Investigators have recovered and analysed CCTV footage from multiple dates, while fresh CCTV footage has helped the SIT identify more suspects in the alleged theft case. The SIT has also questioned Badrinath Temple Chief Executive Officer Sohan Singh Rangad and his Personal Assistant Atul Dimri regarding alleged lapses in oversight.
Badrinath donation theft case: Retired temple official Rajendra Chauhan’s pension and retirement benefits withheld; arrested employee to get only subsistence allowance.
When trust is broken at the shrine, accountability follows even after retirement.
