Thiruvananthapuram | Opposition Congress on Tuesday levelled grave charges against Kerala CMO in connection with the ongoing SIT probe into the Sabarimala gold loss case and accused it of interfering with the investigation through intermediaries.
While talking to reporters here, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan alleged that two IPS officers were assigned by the CMO to exert intense pressure on the SIT that probes the case.
He said the opposition was refraining from naming the officers concerned only out of propriety, but warned that he would be compelled to disclose their identities if they did not stop exerting pressure upon investigating officers.
Stressing the need for a sincere and impartial investigation, he said it is a case involving the theft of gold belonging to Lord Ayyappa. He said the opposition is closely monitoring the probe and would point out any lapses in the investigation.
Satheesan said the investigation would now move forward in the right direction only because of the High Court's intervention. He clarified that the opposition has not so far expressed any lack of confidence in the SIT and said he expects the real culprits to be brought before the law at the earliest.
Satheesan said the opposition would wait for a few more days to assess how the SIT probe progresses and cautioned that the situation should not reach a stage where a CBI investigation becomes inevitable.
He alleged that it was only because the probe is under court scrutiny that it is moving forward to some extent. Otherwise, he claimed, the investigation would have gone nowhere. Had the probe remained entirely under the government's control, Satheesan said, key accused like former TDB chiefs A Padmakumar and N Vasu would not have been arrested.
Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple has been at the centre of a huge political controversy over the loss of gold for some time.
A Special Investigation Team is probing the loss of gold and related complaints, and several persons, including two past presidents of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), have been arrested in this regard.
The SIT recently told a Vigilance Court that Pankaj Bhandari of Smart Creations and Ballari-based jeweller Govardhan Roddam played a central role in a conspiracy to steal gold from artefacts of the Sabarimala temple. The SIT on Friday arrested both Bhandari and Roddam.
