Uttarakhand: Char Dham priests protest state govt's decision to form of Devasthanam Board

The Uttarakhand government has received a letter from the Char Dham priests protesting the formation of the Devasthanam Board without consulting with 61 other temples. In the letter, the priests of Char Dham have also requested the state government to complete the repair and beautification of the Kedarnath Dham. The Char Dham priests submitted the letter to the Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Om Prakash on Saturday.

"We protest the State government's decision to form the Uttarakhand Devasthanam Board without taking shrine priests of 61 other temples into confidence," read the letter from the Char Dham priests.

"We request to the State government to complete the beautification of the Kedarnath Dham at the earliest and widen the road connecting it. It must also repair the houses damaged in 2013 floods as promised. After the natural disaster, locals as well as priests shared more properties/land to the State government then asked for the beautification of the Kedarnath Dham. However now, neither locals, not shrine priests are ready to share their land or properties in the name of Master Plan," it read further.

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Uttarakhand's Devasthanam Board dispute

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Following the Uttarakhand state government's decision to form the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board for the management and administration of the shrine properties, the priests vehemently protested the decision. Two PIL's were filed in the court to challenge the validity of this act, out of which one was filed by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy. The BJP leader called the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Act, 2019 unconstitutional. Swamy also claimed that this act was in violation of Article 26 of the Constitution of India which gives people the freedom to manage religious affairs. Soon after both the PIL's were dismissed and in July 2020, the Uttarakhand High Court ruled that the Char Dham Devasthanam Board was constitutional.

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(With inputs from ANI)