Kerala CMO interfering in Sabarimala SIT probe through IPS officers, alleges Congress

Thiruvananthapuram | The opposition Congress on Tuesday accused the Kerala CMO of interfering with the investigation through intermediaries in the ongoing SIT probe into the Sabarimala gold loss case.

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 Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing 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, key accused like former TDB chiefs A Padmakumar and N Vasu would not have been arrested, Satheesan claimed.

Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple has been at the centre of a huge political controversy over the loss of gold for some time.

The SIT 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.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the SIT has the responsibility to trace and recover the missing gold from Sabarimala, with only three weeks left for the team's tenure.

Raising serious concerns over the progress of the probe, he said that in normal circumstances, the recovery of stolen property should follow the arrest of the accused.

He questioned as to why the lost gold has not yet been recovered in this case.

He also pointed out at the alleged lack of clarity on whether the gold reportedly seized from certain jewellery shops by the investigators is actually the missing gold from Sabarimala.

"This gold has a very high value in the international market. According to an information received by me, it was sold as antiques at a price exceeding Rs 500 crore," Chennithala claimed, adding that he had handed over all details of the source of this information to the SIT.

Urging the SIT to reach the real culprits, he said the High Court has already stated that the "big fish" are still at large and that there has been a stagnation in the functioning of the team.

The Congress leader also accused the ruling party of continuing to shield the accused in the case out of fear that they would reveal further details if action was initiated against them.

North Paravoor native moves HC alleging IPS officers’ links in Sabarimala gold loss case

Kochi | A North Paravoor native on Tuesday moved the Kerala High Court to implead himself in the petition filed by BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, which seeks a CBI probe into the alleged Sabarimala gold loss case.

The impleading petition was filed by M R Ajayan, an editor of a news firm, who has approached courts in several sensitive cases in the past.

In his petition, Ajayan alleged that senior IPS officers P Vijayan and S Sreejith have links with the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, in the Sabarimala gold loss case.

He also alleged that IPS officer Harisankar is the son of former Travancore Devaswom Board member K P Sankardas.

"They are deliberately obstructing the special investigation team from conducting a fair, impartial, and effective investigation in the case," Ajayan alleged.

He urged the court to transfer the investigation to a specialised central agency such as the CBI for an effective probe.

Meanwhile, a division bench comprising Justice A Muhammed Mustaque and Justice P M Manoj considered Chandrasekhar’s petition and the impleading plea on Tuesday.

The court decided to take up both petitions for further consideration after the Christmas vacation.

Currently, the SIT, constituted as per the direction of the Kerala High Court, is probing two cases related to the Sabarimala gold loss incident, and the team has arrested nine persons, including two former TDB presidents.