THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The SIT plans to arraign thantri Kandararu Rajeevaru as an accused in the Dwarapalaka idol gold misappropriation case on Tuesday and produce him before the Kollam Vigilance Court.
Currently, he is arrested in connection with the the door-frames case. His bail plea will also be considered on the same day.
According to the remand report, the thantri’s role came under scrutiny after he signed a mahazar prepared by Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) officials which recorded gold-clad plates as copper plates.
The report also refers to the duties of the thantri as laid down in the TDB Manual. Investigators noted that the remuneration received by the thantri from the Devaswom Board is termed “Paditharam” and is a salary, not dakshina. As per the manual, they say, a thantri holds responsibilities similar to that of an assistant commissioner and is therefore accountable for the protection and upkeep of temple assets.
The SIT alleged that the thantri failed to discharge this responsibility and instead gave a “silent nod” to prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti to remove door frames from the temple. Investigators said that if such tacit approval was given in the door-frames case, his explicit permission in the Dwarapalaka case becomes a serious issue.
Meanwhile, the thantri, who was arrested on Friday and remanded for 14 days at the Thiruvananthapuram Special Sub Jail, was shifted to hospital due to ill health. He was first taken to the General Hospital and later shifted to the Medical College Hospital after a minor ECG variation was detected. He is currently under observation in the ICU.