Kainchi Dham (Kainchi Dham) of Baba Neem Karauli Maharaj, one of the most famous religious places of Uttarakhand, is now embroiled in controversies over transparency and financial management. Taking a serious stand in this matter, Uttarakhand High Court has appointed advocate Dharmendra Barthwal as amicus curiae. The court has sought responses from the state government, Nainital District Magistrate and other concerned parties and has scheduled the next hearing of the case after four weeks.
Taking cognizance of the letter of Thakur Singh Dasila, resident of Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand High Court has registered it as a PIL. The petition alleged irregularities and lack of transparency in the management trust of Kainchi Dham. Also, the court has directed the registry to provide a copy of the PIL to the amicus curiae.
The petitioner claims that important information related to this Dham established by Baba Neem Karauli is not clearly recorded in the local administration or registrar office. The name of the trust, office address and appointment process of trustees are also not available in the public domain. It has been argued in the petition that in view of the huge number of foreign pilgrims, it is mandatory to follow the rules of FCRA and have accounting transparency.
According to the argument given in the High Court, a clear legal system is applicable for Badrinath-Kedarnath and Jageshwar temples. On this basis, it has been demanded that the operation of Kainchi Dham should also be compulsorily registered under the Indian Trust Act, 1882.
