

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has courted controversy by appointing K B Pradeep, former counsel of Smart Creations in Sabarimala gold theft case, as special government pleader of the devaswom department. Opposition parties alleged that it showed the Congress’s links with the theft.
The government created the special post following the board’s demand for a better mechanism to handle litigations.
Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan said the appointment would do good for the government as the advocate knows the ‘weaknesses of the accused’ in an important case.