Dehradun: The Uttarakhand high court has taken suo motu cognizance of alleged mismanagement at the Kainchi Dham Temple, registering a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) after a petition raised concerns over the temple’s administration.
A division bench, comprising chief justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and justice Subhash Upadhyay, on Wednesday heard the petition submitted by Thakur Singh Dasila, which highlighted several issues regarding the administration of the temple located in the Bhowali area of Nainital.
During the proceedings, chief standing counsel for the state, CS Rawat, presented instructions received from the district magistrate of Nainital in the matter.
The court order noted that a communication from the secretary and member trustee of the Shri Kainchi Hanuman Mandir and Ashram denied the allegations made in the letter petition, labelling them as false.
In the interest of a fair hearing, the bench permitted the impleadment of the Shri Kainchi Hanuman Mandir Trust as a respondent in the matter.
The court issued a formal notice to petitioner Dasila and appointed advocate Dharmendra Barthwal as amicus curiae to assist the bench.
Directing that necessary instructions be obtained from the district magistrate of Nainital to facilitate the judicial process, the high court scheduled the matter for further hearing on March 18.
The ashram was founded by Neem Karoli Baba, popularly known as Maharaj-ji, on June 15, 1964, along the banks of the Shipra River. The spiritual legacy of Baba, a devoted follower of Lord Hanuman, continues to draw lakhs of devotees annually.
Aditya Pratap Singh, counsel for the state pollution control board in the matter, said, “A resident of Pithoragarh district had written to the Uttarakhand High Court raising concerns over alleged irregularities, lack of transparency and unregulated construction in and around the famous Kainchi Dham, established by Neem Karoli Baba.”
He added that Dasila, a resident of Pithoragarh, in his letter highlighted issues including alleged uncontrolled construction activities, financial opacity, and disorganized arrangements at the shrine. “He has also pointed to mounting pressure on local infrastructure due to the increasing footfall at the temple,” he said.
“In his letter, Dasila has also stated that basic information about the trust managing the shrine is not publicly available. Details such as the trust’s official name, registration documents, office address, number of trustees, and information regarding their appointments are allegedly not accessible through the administration or the registrar’s office. The letter further claimed that the temple receives donations worth crores of rupees every year, but no public disclosure of income and expenditure statements is made. Given the significant number of foreign devotees visiting the ashram, Dasila has also sought transparency regarding foreign contributions and cash donations, including making audit reports publicly available,” he said.