Explained: What’s in Uttarakhand’s Char Dham Act, and why it is being withdrawn

What is the News?

Uttarakhand CM has announced the withdrawal of the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Act, which was made an act in 2019.

The decision will lead to the abolition of Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board, which has been facing protests from priests and other stakeholders of four shrines.

What is the Char Dham Act?

The act was aimed at bringing the Char Dham of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri and 49 other temples under the purview of a proposed shrine board.

As per the Act, the CM is the Chairman, whereas the minister for religious affairs is the vice-chairman of the board.

The shrine board was constituted as the highest governing body for the management of the temples. Its power ranges from policy formulation to execution and budgetary powers including management of jewellery and properties vested in the temples, among others.

What is the controversy?

Before the constitution of the Board, the “Shri Badrinath-Shri Kedarnath Act, 1939” was in place for the management of two shrines Badrinath, Kedarnath and Shri Badrinath- Shri Kedarnath Mandir Samiti for 45 temples.

All the decisions related to utilization of the donations, funds and development works in and around these temples were taken by that committee and the government did not intervene. But through the Devasthanam board, the government tried to take control over the financial and policy decisions, which is not taken well by stakeholders.

In case of Gangotri and Yamunotri, management of the shrines was in the control of local trusts and the government was not getting any share from the donations made by devotees.

Now it was set to change with the new act.

What is the step taken by Government?

Uttarakhand’s government first constituted a committee to look into the matter and later, after receiving committee’s report, announced to withdraw the Act.

Source: This post is based on the article “Explained: What’s in Uttarakhand’s Char Dham Act, and why it is being withdrawn” published in Indian Express on 01 Dec 2021.