The chief priest (mukhya rawal) of Badrinath shrine, V Keshavan Namboodiri (36), along with his cousin brother, was arrested from South Delhi’s Mehrauli for molesting a 30-year-old pregnant woman in an inebriated state.
The alleged incident occurred on Monday evening inside Hotel Delight Inn where the accused checked in on Sunday evening in the name of Niira Radia’s driver Manoj. The victim, along with her husband, owns a hotel in Badrinath, and the victim’s South Delhi-based family knew Namboodiri for the past 13 years. The accused were produced before a city court on Tuesday and sent to 14 days’ judicial custody after the police did not seek their custodial interrogation.
Meanwhile, Namboodiri was suspended as the chief priest of the famous shrine soon after confirmation of the news about his arrest, Badri-Kedar Temple Committee chief Ganesh Godiyal said. “Till his name is cleared of the charges in a court of law, Nayab Rawal VC Ishwara Prasad will function as the chief priest of the temple,” he said.