The Badri-Kedar Temple Committee (BKTC) has launched an official investigation into allegations of mishandling donations at the Badrinath Temple. According to reports from NDTV Profit, this development follows the high-profile controversy and arrests made in relation to the Ayodhya Ram Mandir embezzlement case, which has increased scrutiny of donation management and financial transparency at major temples. The committee ordered the probe after allegations circulated on social media claiming that cash offerings made by devotees had been misappropriated. As per The Hindu, the development comes days after a donation theft case at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, highlighting the broader concern over temple donation management across India's major religious sites.
In an order issued on Thursday, 2 July 2026, Sohan Singh Rangad, Chief Executive Officer of BKTC, instructed all officials and employees posted at donation and offering counting centres, accounts branches, treasury sections, guest houses, and puja counters at Badrinath, Kedarnath, and all other temples managed by the committee to exercise heightened vigilance. The directive has been forwarded to the Chairman of the Temple Committee for information and circulated to the officers in charge of Badrinath and Kedarnath, the Thali Bhent in-charge, accountants, treasurers, as well as the managers and caretakers of all guest houses for necessary compliance. According to PTI, the committee has also appealed to devotees and requested them to not share unverified information while the inquiry is in progress, urging them to wait for official findings.
As reported by NDTV Profit, BKTC President Hemant Dwivedi confirmed that the committee has formed an inquiry panel and sought explanations from employees whose names have surfaced in connection with the allegations. The committee will scrutinize CCTV recordings, financial documents, and other relevant evidence while recording statements from concerned officials and employees. Rangad stated that the committee carrying out the probe will submit a report based on the available CCTV footage, evidence, as well as statements from parties concerned. According to PTI, if any irregularities are established, those responsible will face legal action under the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee Act, 1939 and the employee conduct rules. The CEO added that "once the committee is formed, it will conduct a detailed probe based on all facts, available evidence, and statements of the parties concerned, and submit its report".
According to NDTV Profit, the allegations were raised by a social organisation called the Bhairav Sena Sangathan, claiming that a temple employee was involved in the alleged misuse of donations. The organisation has demanded that authorities examine CCTV footage and other records to verify the claim. Dwivedi dismissed speculation that his personal secretary was involved, stating the mentioned individual is a regular temple committee employee. He clarified that the individual is "not his personal secretary but a regular government employee of the BKTC, and that he has previously worked as a personal assistant with three former Chairmen of the Temple Committee." He emphasized that if the inquiry finds wrongdoing, 'no one will be spared,' irrespective of their position. As per PTI, Dwivedi said that allegations regarding the same were making the rounds on social media, prompting the temple committee to take them seriously and ordering a formal probe of the same.
Senior BJP leader and former MP Vinay Katiyar on Friday said he has spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Ram temple donations' theft issue and he 'expressed concern', as per PTI. Katiyar alleged financial irregularities in the functioning of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and claimed that former office-bearers Champat Rai and Anil Mishra and temple official Gopal Rao 'may have escaped going to jail for now, but who knows may later still go'. Calling the alleged embezzlement 'an attack on the country's religious culture and the faith of crores of devotees', he said incidents of theft involving temple donations had tarnished the prestige of Lord Ram and sent a wrong message across the country. The developments highlight the broader concern over temple donation management across India's major religious sites.
