8 months ago
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The Vigilance helping of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has recovered 2 copper-gold leaf-covered metallic plaques that went missing from the Sabarimala temple successful 2019.
Notably, the Vigilance portion confiscated the gold-copper alloy and lacquered tablets featuring spiritual imagery from the location of a comparative of Unnikrishnan Potti, the devotee who had sponsored the artefacts.
TDB president P.S. Prasanth told The Hindu successful Kottayam that “the committee stood vindicated and the detection had silenced the Devasom’s detractors.” A politically tempestuous contention had erupted successful the run-up to the TDB-sponsored Global Ayyappa Sangamam, aft Mr. Potti came connected unrecorded tv and alleged that his offering to the temple had gone missing since 2019.
He claimed helium had paid for the 3 sovereigns of golden to embellish the basal of the “Dwarapalaka” statues flanking the entranceway of the sanctum sanctorum of the Ayyappa temple.
HC orders probe
Consequently, the Kerala High Court ordered the TDB’s Vigilance helping to probe the matter. The TDB Vigilance prepared an inventory of invaluable items stored successful the temple’s fortified strongroom. Hard-pressed to find the golden lacquered plaques, the Vigilance portion expanded its investigation.
The Vigilance portion scanned temple records dating backmost to 2019. The bureau concluded that the TDB had returned the gold-covered plaques donated by the sponsor aft determining that they were excessively tiny to screen the pedestals of the chromatic idols.
Subsequently, the Vigilance helping inspected the residence of the sponsor and those of his relatives and employees, starring to the betterment of the items from his adjacent relative’s location astatine Pulimathu successful Kilimanoor, connected the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram city, connected Saturday.
According to TDB sources, the sponsor had accepted the instrumentality of the plaques and entrusted them to an worker for safekeeping. They alleged that the sponsor had aboriginal transferred the objects to his relative’s house, perchance to dodge ineligible jeopardy.
Report successful HC today
The lawsuit of the missing plaques had stirred a governmental storm, prompting the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) to boycott the Legislative Assembly during the past sitting.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Sangh Parivar organisations had besides attempted to clasp the authorities accountable for the missing artefacts. The TDB would record a study successful the High Court connected Monday and question directions for proceeding further successful the case.
