New Delhi, July 13 -- The Uttarakhand Police on Monday said they have made the first arrest in connection with the alleged irregularities in the handling of donations at the Badrinath temple. According to the police, the accused, Pramod Nautiyal, was arrested from his residence in Dehradun on Sunday.

Nautiyal is a suspended employee of the Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) and served as the Personal Assistant to the BKTC chairman. The BKTC is a statutory body which manages the Badrinath temple and other shrines in Uttarakhand.

The BKTC's four-member inquiry committee had found the allegations of irregularities in donation management against Nautiyal to be prima facie true. A preliminary inquiry found that cash was removed...