Chennai: The Madras high court directed state government’s chief sthapathi (sculptor) M. Muthaiah to appear before the idol wing of CID police in connection with a criminal case for hiving off 5.75 kg gold from the Somaskandar idol of Ekambaranathar temple in Kancheepuram.
Justice R. Mahadevan, before whom an anticipatory bail plea moved by Muthaiah came up for hearing on Wednesday, passed the interim order and directed Muthaiah to appear before the investigation officer for 10 days. He said that a decision on the bail application can be arrived at later. When the matter came up for hearing earlier, IG A G Ponmanickavel opposed the bail plea stating that Muthaiah was a suspect and absconding for more than a month.
Muthaiah’s counsel denied the allegations and said he was ready to cooperate with police. CID police registered the FIR in December last against nine persons, including Muthiaiah, for alleged misappropriation of gold collected as donation from devotees at the Ekambaranathar temple in Kancheepuram. The temple had received gold for the consecration of the Somaskandar and Amman idols. The temple staff who were supposed to use 5.75 kg of gold in the two idols, failed to keep an account of the gold collected from devotees.
