THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state police has registered two FIRs in connection with the alleged ‘misappropriation’ of gold in Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in which Unnikrishnan Potty, a priest-turned-businessman, has been listed as the main accused.
According to police sources, the FIRs also reportedly include staff of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) as accused. The FIRs will be handed over to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the charges.
While one FIR pertains to the irregularities in the gold-clad panels of the Dwarapalaka idols, the other is connected with the alleged misappropriation of gold from the side frames and lintel of the Sabarimala Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum). The probe will examine allegations of unauthorised extraction of gold, its illegal transporttion and fraudulent transactions.
On Friday, the Kerala High Court had observed that misappropriation of gold in the side frames and lintel of the Sabarimala Sreekovil appeared similar to the earlier fraud detected in the gold plating of the Dwarapalaka idols.
The Court stated that the probe revealed a substantial quantity of gold, around 474.9 grams, had been handed over directly to Unnikrishnan Potty. However, records do not show that an equivalent quantity of gold was ever entrusted to the TDB.
Earlier, the Court had appointed the SIT to investigate all aspects of the Dwarapalaka fraud. In light of the latest revelations concerning the side frames and lintel, these matters will also fall under the purview of the SIT, in addition to any other issues that may arise during the investigation.
Earlier, the High Court had directed the vigilance to submit its report to the board for handing over to the police. The investigation will be conducted by the Special Investigation Team formed by the High Court recently. The SIT will begin its probe by quizzing Unnikrishnan Potti and 10 TDB officers indicted in the report, it is learnt. According to the vigilance, the officers colluded with Potti in the handover of the gold-cladded panels to Potti and the replacement with gold-plated panels.
S Jayasree, former secretary of the TDB, is alleged to have facilitated the smooth handover of the materials to Potti, according to vigilance. The then board presided by A Padmakumar issued an order for conducting the maintenance work under the sponsorship of Potti and monitoring by officers led by the then devaswom commissioner. The subsequent implementation order issued by Jayasree, however, gave a freehand to Potti, they said.
