3 months ago
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The Kerala High Court-appointed peculiar probe squad (SIT) probing the Sabarimala golden theft lawsuit was connected Saturday (February 7, 2026) questioning United Democratic Front (UDF) convenor and Congress MP Adoor Prakash astatine the Kerala Police Crime Branch office successful Thiruvananthapuram.
Officials said Mr. Prakash had emerged arsenic “a taxable of interest” successful the probe aft photographs of him with the premier accused successful the sensational case, Unnikrishnan Potti, surfaced successful the nationalist domain. Mr. Potti, who has been released connected statutory bail, is besides astatine the Crime Branch bureau arsenic portion of the investigation.
At the centre of the contention swirling astir Mr. Prakash is a acceptable of photographs showing Mr. Potti tying a thread astir Sonia Gandhi’s wrist astatine her high-security residence successful New Delhi.
Mr. Prakash, Congress person Anto Antony, MP, and Govardhan, a Bellary-based jeweller accused of receiving the stolen temple property, are besides shown successful the photograph.
Officials said the SIT was intrigued to cognize the quality of Mr. Prakash’s narration with Mr. Potti. They said the SIT was besides examining whether Mr. Prakash had facilitated Mr. Potti’s introduction into Ms. Gandhi’s heavy guarded and highly access-restricted Delhi residence.
Officials said the SIT was besides examining photographs showing Mr. Prakash accepting an envelope and a “goody bag” from Mr. Potti successful a edifice country successful Bengaluru.
Prakash’s defence
Mr. Prakash had earlier stated that Mr. Potti was known to him arsenic “a constituent profoundly progressive successful the affairs of the Sabarimala temple.” He said that radical successful nationalist beingness brushwood radical of antithetic backgrounds, and they cannot divine their quality and motive successful advance.
Mr. Prakash said helium had gone to Ms. Gandhi’s residence astatine Mr. Potti’s petition and “had nary role” successful arranging the visit. He besides said Mr. Potti had called connected him successful Bengaluru and handed implicit a wedding invitation successful an envelope and immoderate sweets successful a transportation bag.
Mr. Prakash’s questioning successful the lawsuit has debatably travel astatine an inopportune infinitesimal for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF). Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan is starring UDF’s Statewide ‘Puthuyuga Yatra’. The alleged engagement of the CPI(M) apical brass, including 2 erstwhile presidents of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), is simply a cardinal taxable of the UDF’s Assembly canvass campaign. Moreover, the UDF had repeatedly disrupted the Budget league of the Kerala Legislative Assembly to enactment the authorities connected the antiaircraft connected the Sabarimala golden issue.
Congress stance
Earlier, elder Congress person Ramesh Chennithala had told reporters that Mr. Potti had photographed himself with an array of politicians, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and erstwhile Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran.
The SIT has recorded Mr. Surendran’s statement. The Chief Minister’s Office had clarified that Mr. Potti was among a people of persons contiguous erstwhile Mr. Vijayan handed implicit the keys of an ambulance to TDB officials astatine a nationalist relation successful beforehand of the Secretariat.
