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Keralam Health and Devaswoms Minister K Muraleedharan on Wednesday said the state government required "freedom" to appoint a Devaswom Commissioner and to investigate the Sabrimala gold theft case.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed on the directions of the Kerala High Court, is probing the Sabrimala gold theft case. Reiterating his "interference" of the High Court remark in the Sabarimala gold theft case, Muraleedharan told ANI, "We want freedom to appoint Devaswom Commissioner. We want the freedom to probe the gold robbery. That's our demand." Alleged misappropriation of approximately 4.54 kilograms of gold from the sacred Sabarimala temple artefacts, including the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) door frames and Dwarapalaka idols, took place in 2019 under the pretext of refinishing and re-gold-plating temple structures. The controversy traces its origin to a 1998 donation by industrialist Vijay Mallya, who had gifted 30.3 kilograms of gold and 1,900 kilograms of copper for gold plating and cladding work at the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple. Subsequent inspections and court-monitored inquiries revealed discrepancies between the donated gold and the quantity allegedly used. The Congress rallied against the previous Left government ahead of the 2026 Keralam Legislative elections as former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president and an accused, A Padmakumar, was a CPI(M) MLA. The party had expelled him after the controversy surfaced. Unnikrishnan Potti, a former helper and the sponsor of gold-plating works at the Sabarimala Ayyappa, was the main accused in the case. Meanwhile, State Health Minister Muraleedharan also said that the government will take "strong action" against the Superintendent and Principal of the Health Services Department for not submitting the Rs 46 lakhs collected as penalty during the COVID-19 period. "In the COVID period, HDS (Health Services Department) received Rs 46 lakhs but did not give it to the bank. So, we are going for a strong action. A case will be registered against the then HDS - not only members but also the Superintendent and Principal," the Keralam minister said. (ANI)
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