Chamoli: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted to probe the Badrinath donation theft case has filed its chargesheet before the court. The chargesheet that was filed on Friday is said to be running close to 1,000 pages.
It relies on the testimony of 50 witnesses. The court of Judicial Magistrate Hina Kausar reviewed the chargesheet and its related documents while ordering the registration of a case against the three accused. The next hearing in the case has been scheduled on October 22.
The court found a prima facie case against the then protocol officer Pramod Nautiyal, retired temple official Rajendra Singh Chauhan and security guard Manoj Kumar.
According to the prosecution, these officials were responsible for counting the money collected from the donation plate and gifts received at the temple before depositing them into the temple committee's account as per the rules.
It is alleged that Pramod Nautiyal and Rajendra Singh Chauhan allegedly conspired to embezzle a portion of the donations and gifts by taking them into their own hands. Meanwhile, security guard Manoj Kumar has been accused of stealing donations from the donation plate during the counting. According to the prosecution, the allegedly stolen items were recovered from his possession along with the money he received from selling them.
Pramod Nautiyal and Rajendra Singh Chauhan are currently lodged in Pursadi District Jail. The court has issued judicial custody warrants for both. Meanwhile, Manoj Kumar, who is out on bail, has been summoned to appear before the court.
The alleged theft was discovered in late June and early July this year via closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the temple’s ‘Thali Bhent’ counting room. The footage is reportedly learnt to have captured the accused hiding currency notes, gold and silver coins along with other items into their pockets or under mobile phones.
On the discovery of the alleged theft, the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) suspended the implicated staff, and a dedicated SIT was formed by the Chamoli Police under state directives to probe the matter.