7 months ago
3
Holding that Sabarimala has witnessed 1 of the astir brazen frauds successful Kerala’s history, elder Congress person Ramesh Chennithala connected Saturday demanded the resignation of Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan and called for a broad probe nether the Kerala High Court’s Devaswom Bench.
Addressing the media successful Pathanamthitta, Mr. Chennithala said each developments astatine Sabarimala since 2019 had been successful usurpation of tribunal orders.
“Ministers, committee presidents, members, and officials handling the Devaswom Board since past are blameworthy of wrongdoing and indispensable look beardown action. All fiscal fraud, theft, and related crimes indispensable beryllium registered arsenic FIRs and thoroughly investigated,” helium said.
Elaborating connected the issue, Mr. Chennithala demanded clarity connected the statement betwixt the Travancore Devaswom Board and businessman Vijay Mallya, who had donated the gold-plated Dwarapalaka sculptures successful 1999. “How were they recorded arsenic copper plates successful the Devaswom records,” helium asked.
He questioned whether Unnikrishnan Potti had collected ample sums of wealth connected the pretext of golden plating astatine Sabarimala, asking: “Did the Devaswom Board ever licence specified collections? If not, wherefore has nary lawsuit been filed for this alleged fiscal fraud?”
Among different concerns, Mr. Chennithala sought answers astir the circumstances nether which support was granted to Mr. Potti to region the gold-plated sheets, contempt wide instructions successful the Devaswom Manual and High Court orders.
“Given the worth of the gold, due weighing should person been conducted astatine removal and return. Evidence suggests discrepancies successful weight. Who benefited from the missing gold? In whose sanction was Unnikrishnan Potti operating and however did helium summation specified power astatine Sabarimala,” helium asked.
He besides questioned wherefore the Devaswom Board had not filed a ailment contempt the nonaccomplishment of the pedestals of the Dwarapalaka idols for astir 10 years and wherefore this was not mentioned successful immoderate audit.
Referring to claims by Smart Creations, the institution that carried retired the gold-plating work, Mr. Chennithala demanded to cognize wherever those golden plates were present and whether immoderate lawsuit had been registered for their theft.
