Travancore Board chief wants comprehensive probe into Sabarimala gold plating controversy

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 3 (IANS) Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president P. S. Prasanth said the Kerala High Court will be apprised of all developments related to the Sabarimala gold plating controversy, and the Board will seek a comprehensive probe covering events from 1999 onwards.

"Potti has now fallen into the pit that he had dug," Prasanth remarked, referring to Unnikrishnan Potti, who raised huge amount of money on the pretext of the gold plating of the temple.

The controversy deepened as fresh revelations emerged about Potti's financial dealings.

Intelligence officials have begun probing his multi-crore land transactions, with evidence suggesting he had allegedly extended loans and acquired land across Kerala.

A former Devaswom contractor in the state capital is suspected to have acted as his intermediary.

Meanwhile, the Devaswom Vigilance is set to question Potti on Saturday.

Investigators allege serious irregularities in the handling of the gold plating of the 'dwarapalaka' (guardian deity) idols and the mysterious disappearance of a pedestal.

Records show that the gold sheets were removed on July 20, 2019, but were sent to Chennai-based Smart Creations only after a gap of 40 days, raising questions about where they were kept during that period.

On their return, four kilograms of gold were found missing, a discrepancy not entered in the official 'mahasar' (inventory report). Devaswom employees, too, are likely to be made accountable for the lapse.

The Vigilance also noted that Potti, under the guise of being a sponsor, had carried out extensive fundraising in the name of Sabarimala.

There are suspicions that the gold sheets were transported to Bengaluru, bypassing regulations, as part of this money-raising exercise.

Adding to the controversy, Potti had organised a Sabarimala event in Chennai in which popular actor Jayaram also participated, further spotlighting his high-profile activities around the temple project.

Now with Prasanth making it clear that they want a detailed probe starting from 1999 till now, it was the nominee of the CPI(M) led Left who occupied the post of the president for 16 years, while the nominee of the Congress-led UDF sat on the hot seat for 10 years and now the question that’s going around is if all’s well in the CPI-M.

--IANS

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