Sabarimala Gold Theft Case: Pinarayi Vijayan Seeks Info on Prime Accused Unnikrishnan Meeting Sonia Gandhi
Pinarayi stated that the probe is under the High Court's supervision and not subject to any intervention from his office.
Thiruvananthapuram: On the defensive over the Sabarimala gold theft case, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday tried to shift the focus onto the opposition UDF.
At a press conference, he alleged that prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty was first taken to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s house. Pinarayi questioned how Congress MP Adoor Prakash’s name came up in the controversy, pointing to a photo of the UDF convenor with Sonia Gandhi, Unnikrishnan Potty, and Goverdhan. “How did the two accused in the case get access to the top Congress leadership?” he asked.
Is Adoor Prakash someone who would go anywhere just because Potty called? The opposition leaders have no answer to who facilitated this meeting with Sonia Gandhi. When there are no answers, they resort to theatrics," he said.
Pinarayi stated that the probe is under the High Court's supervision and not subject to any intervention from his office. He accused the opposition of leveling baseless allegations against his office to divert attention from their own wrongdoings.
Earlier, Adoor Prakash has accused the Chief Minister's office of attempting to implicate him in the case.
Scale of Sabarimala gold scam much larger: SIT
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft has found that the scale of the scam could be much larger.
In an application filed before the Enquiry Commissioner and Special Judge (Vigilance), Kollam, for the interrogation of the first accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, the ninth accused, Pankaj Bhandari, and the tenth accused, Govardhan, it was submitted that apart from the door frames and idols, gold-clad Shiva idols on the top, the arch including the Vyali roopam (dragon figures), raashi plates, Dasharatha plates, and the upper side of the door frame were entrusted to Potty under the pretext of gold cladding by falsely describing the entire items as copper materials.
The Sabarimala gold theft case centres on the alleged misappropriation of several kilograms of gold from the temple’s Dwarapalaka idols and doors. The SIT discovered that the gold had been removed, sold, and replaced with copper plates. These shocking revelations led to the arrest of former TDB officials, including two former Devaswom Board presidents and a businessman. The case has sparked a major political controversy in the state, prompting the High Court to order a detailed investigation by the SIT.
The probe, monitored by the high court, is aimed at recovering the temple assets and holding accountable those involved in the wrongdoing. Political observers believe the Sabarimala gold theft case was also a factor contributing to the LDF's poor perfor
