The Uttarakhand legislative assembly on Saturday 12-12-2021 passed a bill to dissolve the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board through voice vote.
What is Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board?
In 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, led by Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat, passed the Uttarakhand Char Dham Shrine Management Bill, 2019. The bill facilitated the formation of Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board, allowed the board to act as the highest governing body, to look after the shrines while framing policies and sanctioning expenditure.
Why Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board is abolished?
Several Priests and religious organizations protested against the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Act, which brought four Hindu shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotri and 49 other temples under the control of its Char Dham Devasthanam board.
Priests of the Chardham — Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri — opposed the board, calling it an infringement upon their traditional rights over the Himalayan temples.