Sabarimala Gold Theft: Kerala High Court Questions Motive Behind Plea Seeking CBI Probe

The Kerala High Court on Monday (January 19) orally questioned the motives of the members of the Akhila Thanthri Pracharak Sabha, who had filed a plea seeking CBI probe into the high profile case of gold misappropriation from the Sabarimala temple.When the matter came up for consideration, the Division Bench of Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V. and Justice K.V. Jayakumar orally remarked:"Without even understanding what is transpiring, you have raised certain allegations trying to protect the accused from the crimes. There is no reason why you should file a writ petition saying, at this particular point of time after we have passed 10 orders, that the gold plating of Dwarapalaka idols...You are saying that all these persons who have been arrayed as accused are innocent people. You are saying that the Dwarapalakas were not gold-cladded, it was gold plated. We have the analysis report here..."Other pleas are also pending before the Court seeking a similar prayer for CBI probe into the case. After hearing the petitioners for some time, the Court tagged the present case with the connected pleas and posted it for consideration on February 6.Presently, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is conducting a court-monitored investigation into the crimes relating to misappropriation of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and the door frames of the Sreekovil in Sabarimala. Recently, the Court had expressed its satisfaction with the manner and progress of investigation being conducted by the SIT.The petitioners, claiming to be ardent devotees of Lord Ayyappa, submitted in their plea that there were serious flaws in the investigation being conducted now."According to the petitioner the said investigation is not conducting in a proper manner and the team is not identifying the real culprit, instead they are trying to shoulder upon the blame on the Thantris and Poojaris of the famous Temple, whereby the devoteeís religious feelings are seriously been hurt and creating a black mark for Thantris and Poojaries. The petitioners are not saying that if they are the real culprits they should not been arrayed as accused or arrested but the way in which the investigation is being conducted, putting charge upon the Thantri and Poojaris are really shameful...," states the plea.The plea further states that since persons and establishments from different states are involved in the case, a comprehensive investigation can only be done by a central investigating agency like the CBI. It is further pointed out that there is "political cloud in the state investigation" when the ruling party is having control over the authorities.In the plea, the petitioners have highlighted that the SIT is trying to delay the filing of the chargesheet in the case and that it os trying to widen the scope of the investigation into the gold plating of the flag post in the temple since it found that the arrest and arraignment of thantri Kandararu Rajeevaru in the case will not "sustain in a court of law".They have claimed that there is no connection with the afore misappropriation and misappropriation from the Dwarapalaka idols and the door frames. Accordingly, they have prayed that another agency could separately conduct inquiry into the same."They are now trying to investigate another pilferage of gold allegedly taken place in the gold plating of Dwajam (Flag Post) of Sabarimala Temple, which is carried out in the year 2017, whereby the enquiry could be extended to other political leaders of the opposition and delay in submitting the Charge Report in the present case. They now seized the Vaji Vahanamí (idol of horse), from Thantri's residence, which was removed from the top of the 'Dwajam' before the gold plating and trying to connect the same to the present case," they have stated in the plea.Case No: WP(C) 1862/2026Case Title: M.S. Sreerajkrishnan Potti and Anr. v. Union of India and Ors.

Sabarimala Gold Theft: Kerala High Court Questions Motive Behind Plea Seeking CBI Probe

K. Salma Jennath

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