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The Madras High Court has stayed each further proceedings successful a lawsuit pending against a erstwhile Commissioner of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department and 8 others for having allegedly collected hundreds of sovereigns of golden from devotees of the Ekambaranathar Temple successful Kancheepuram for making 2 Panchaloha (an alloy of 5 metals) idols, but not utilizing adjacent a driblet of the precious metallic successful their making.
Justice M. Nirmal Kumar granted the interim enactment pursuing a petition filed by sculptor Muthiah Stapathy to quash the chargesheet filed against him. On uncovering that the erstwhile HR&CE Commissioner M. Veera Shanmuga Moni, who was an IAS serviceman had besides filed a akin quash petition, the justice directed the High Court Registry to nine some those pleas unneurotic and database them for proceeding connected April 17, 2026.
According to the prosecution, the past Ekambaranathar Temple successful Kancheepuram had 2 Panchaloha (also called arsenic Aympon successful Tamil) idols for Lord Somaskandar and Goddess Ealavarkuzhali Amman. The 1,600-year-old idols, sculpted during the reign of the Pallavas, were made of an alloy consisting of 5 metals: gold, silver, copper, brass, and pb mixed unneurotic arsenic per the Agamic principles.
Foul play suspected
It had been the signifier since clip immemorial to instrumentality these 2 Urchava Murtis (idols utilized for being taken connected procession) connected procession astir the municipality for the darshan of devotees during circumstantial occasions. In 2015, a devotee named S. Annamalai, 63, suspected immoderate foul play successful the temple medication with respect to the 2 idols and approached the constabulary for the registration of a First Information Report (FIR).
When his efforts did not fructify, helium obtained a circumstantial absorption from a judicial magistrate to the constabulary and lone thereafter, the Siva Kanchi constabulary registered a FIR against each 9 named accused connected December 10, 2017. The lawsuit was thereafter investigated by the Idol Wing CID for a fewer years earlier it was re-transferred successful August 2022 to the Siva Kanchi police, which filed a chargesheet against each 9 accused successful July 2023.
The constabulary charged IAS serviceman Mr. Moni, the past Additional Commissioner of HR&CE Department M. Kavitha, the past authoritative temple sculptor Muthiah Stapathy and six Sthanikars of the temple – Rajappa Gurukal, J. Senthilnathan Nayar, J. Krishnamoorthi, N. Shankara Nayahar, S. Barath Kumar, and S. Vinoth Kumar – with having entered into a transgression conspiracy to regenerate the 2 past idols with caller ones.
Donation of gold
The chargesheet work that connected December 31, 2015, a announcement committee was placed successful the temple soliciting donation of golden by the devotees for sculpting the caller idols. Many devotees, including those who had travel from overseas countries, had donated their golden jewellery, specified arsenic chains, bangles, and bracelets, aft they were accorded peculiar respects, but nary of them had been issued with immoderate receipt for the donations.
The constabulary had identified immoderate of the donors and recorded their statements confirming that they had so donated golden jewellery for making the idols. The constabulary stated that the witnesses had donated implicit 312 sovereigns of golden for the intent but not adjacent a pea-sized portion of golden had been utilized to marque the 2 caller idols. The constabulary besides said, galore different donors were not consenting to travel connected grounds to disclose their donations.
The chargesheet besides highlighted that though 5% of the full value of the idols indispensable person been made of gold, an introspection of the caller idols by the Department of Metallurgical and Material Engineering astatine the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, and besides by an accredited backstage laboratory successful Chennai revealed that not a driblet of golden had been utilized to marque them.
Now, urging the tribunal to quash the chargesheet, Mr. Muthiah Stapathy said, portion disposing of his erstwhile plea to quash the FIR, Justice G. Jayachandran of the High Court had ordered transportation of probe from the Idol Wing CID to the Siva Kanchi constabulary presumption successful 2002 with a circumstantial absorption to re-investigate the substance wrong 90 days. However, nary specified re-investigation had been conducted, helium complained.
In his petition, Mr. Moni, too, raised a akin crushed for quashing the chargesheet and accused the Siva Kanchi constabulary of having filed the chargesheet based connected the probe conducted by the Idol Wing CID without conducting a thorough re-investigation into the matter. He besides contended that the constabulary had failed to get authorities authorisation earlier initiating the prosecution against him.
