Two persons arrested, High Court- monitored probe is on
By P. Sreekumaran
THIRUVANTHAPURAM: The Sabarimala gold panels theft case, which has triggered a political storm, has taken a crucial turn with the arrest of two persons. They are the prime accused, Unnikrishna Potti and Murari babu, a Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB)official.
More arrests are likely as the Kerala High Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) has started questioning a number of officials, including those of the TDB. The SIT, which has been constituted by the High Court, has taken over investigation of the sensational case. Earlier, the Crime Branch of the Kerala Police had registered a case concerning the alleged misappropriation and replication of Sabarimala Ayyappa temple’s artefacts for sale to wealthy collectors for private worship.
The SIT told the court that Potti was an essential cog in the “criminal network involving TDB officials” which spirited the gold coverings from the temple to smelt the alloy for gold. In its report, the SIT has not ruled out the possibility that the suspects had replicated the gold-plated coverings in copper for the possible sale of original veneers to some wealthy collector for private worship.
It all started when the TDB had contracted Potti, who worked at the temple as an assistant to the temple priest in the early 2010s, to restore the gold panels, donated by industrialist Vijay Mallya in 1998, to their original golden sheen in 2019. TDB officials in charge of the temple treasury marked the gold-plated objects as made of pure copper while handing them over to Potti’s associates for restoration at a factory in Chennai, hiding an intent and conspiracy to commit theft. The Vigilance wing of the TDB had found that two of Potti’s aides had accepted the custody of the coverings from the temple authorities. However, they delayed for two days depositing the artefacts at the Chennai factory for repair! The suspects have been accused of “monetizing the sacred objects” by taking them around Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad for private worship.
The probe authorities have not ruled out the possibility of violation of the Prevention of Corruption Act by specific TDB officials involved in the controversial transaction.
The SIT has also noted that Potti kept the artefacts in his custody for 39 days before handing over them to the factory for refurbishment! On way to the Chennai factory, certain film stars, businesspersons and celebrities in Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu had allegedly chartered the religious objects for private worship at their homes, supposedly in exchange for cash and gold donations!
The SIT has also noted that, when Potti finally returned the “restored” panels to the temple, the weight of the inlaid gold had dwindled from the original 2.5 kg to 397 gm. Its case, the SIT told the court, was that Potti had conspired with the TDB officials to rob the temple of at least two kg of gold. In the process, he had enriched themselves at the expense of the exchequer.
Meanwhile, Murari Babu, the TDB official arrested in connection with the case, has been remanded in judicial custody for 14 days. The SIT’s case is that Babu had provided a false report that the gilded overlays earmarked for restoration in 2019, contained no gold and were made of pure copper, before handing over the objects to Potti. The TDB had suspended Potti from service pending an inquiry into the scam. The Nair Service Society (NSS) expelled Babu from its primary membership. Incidentally Babu was the NSS Perunna taluk union vice-president for years.
The High Court wondered how the TDB officials could hand over the artefacts to a person of dubious character without even following the instructions in the TDB Board Sub-Group Manual, which clearly states that repair works of this nature shall be carried out only within the Sannidhanam itself and cannot be taken outside.
The Court observed: “We harbour serious doubts whether the Dwarapalakas returned were the same as those entrusted. By failing to weigh the idols at the time of refixing them and recording it in the mahazar, every Devaswom official, including those in the highest hierarchy, must be held responsible.” The next in camera hearing of the case will be held on November 5.
The SIT, in the meantime, has taken Potti to Bengaluru as part of the ongoing evidence collection. The Judicial First-Class Magistrate court in Ranni, has granted the SIT custody of the accused until October 30 for evidence collection.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government has taken the correct stand that the court-monitored probe would go on, and the guilty would be punished, however high and mighty they may be. The Government has said that it had nothing to hide, and that it would go by the court order in the matter.
As for the Opposition, the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the BJP have launched sit-ins against the TDB, demanding the resignation of the present TDB chief and the Devaswom Minister V. N. Vasavan. (IPA Service)
