Sabarimala tantri arrest sparks Congress-CPM clash over gold case: 'Deliberately trapped'

The arrest of Kandararu Rajeevaru, the chief priest of Sabarimala Temple, in the ongoing gold loss case in January has triggered a fresh political confrontation in poll-bound Kerala, with the main Opposition party Congress alleging he was “deliberately trapped”, as against the main ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M)'s claim that he figured among “big thieves”.

The controversy intensified after a vigilance court in Kollam observed that there was not "an iota of evidence" against Rajeevaru in the case, prompting the Opposition parties to question the investigation.

Chennithala's serious charges

Senior Congress MLA Ramesh Chennithala alleged political interference behind the arrest and said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case was functioning at the behest of the chief minister's office. According to him, the tantri was "deliberately trapped" so that the investigation got diverted and did not reach people such as Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan and former state minister Kadakampally Surendran.

Also read: Sabarimala gold loss: Tantri claims his arrest 'retaliation' for temple women entry row

“We should assume that the Sabarimala tantri was deliberately trapped in the case. It is clear that there was a political intervention to arrest the tantri," the former state Opposition leader said in a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday (February 22), in reference to the vigilance court's take on Rajeevaru and granting him bail four days ago.

He further claimed the arrest was intended to prevent the probe from reaching “big shots”, naming Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan and former minister Kadakampally Surendran. He also accused former Travancore Devaswom Board president P S Prasanth of "committing serious lapses" in connection with the case.

Chennithala also said the SIT failed to comply with the directions issued by the Kerala High Court and did not carry out a proper probe into the alleged conspiracy behind the case.

Also read: Sabarimala case in SC: What is Kerala govt's stand now

The Congress leader also linked the investigation with the political situation in the state, saying the SIT probe was being derailed by brains at a higher level after the ruling Left Democratic Front suffered adversity in the local self-government elections last December.

He warned that the people of Kerala would give a befitting reply to what he called a "political misuse" of the case, hinting at a Congress-led United Democratic Front victory in the upcoming Assembly elections.

CPI(M) trashes charges, defends probe

The CPI(M) rejected the accusations with its state secretary, M V Govindan, remarking that the investigation was ongoing and no one involved would be protected.

Responding to questions on the arrest, he told reporters in Kannur that the tantri figures in the "list of big thieves" and asserted that the law would take its course. He also counter-accused the Congress, saying it also played a role in the alleged gold theft.

Also read: If priest was jailed for violating rituals, Kerala CM should be held too: BJP

He also said that political parties were attempting to use the issue to target the ruling party and the government.

Government flags legal concerns

State Law Minister P Rajeev said there were unusual aspects in the vigilance court’s observations granting bail to the tantri.

"If a high court division bench has observed that the investigation is proceeding in the right direction, it is not usual for a lower court, while considering a bail plea, to make observations that appear like a final verdict in the case," he told the media in Kochi.

He added that such observations are typically made by the Supreme Court of India.

Also Read: Congress leader writes to SIT, hints at foreign links in Sabarimala gold case

Rajeev said the high court was monitoring the investigation and that the state government was not exercising supervisory control over the probe.

The case relates to the alleged misappropriation of gold from idols and door frames of the sanctum sanctorum at the Sabarimala shrine, with Rajeevaru named as one of the several accused.

(With agency inputs)