In a major development in Kerala’s Sabarimala gold theft case, the Enforcement Directorate on Friday filed a money laundering case. This comes after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case arrested chief priest Kandararu Rajeevaru.
As per a report by PTI, ED has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), an ED equivalent of a police FIR, under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The SIT is probing two cases related to the gold loss incident and has arrested 11 people so far.
SIT Arrests Chief Priest
The Special Investigation Team probing the Sabarimala gold loss case on Friday arrested chief priest Kandararu Rajeevaru, citing his close links with prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty and his role
in recommending the controversial replating of the Dwarapalaka and Sreekovil gold plates at the Lord Ayyappa temple.
Thanthri Rajeevaru, who held a position of supreme religious and ritualistic authority at Lord Ayyappa shrine, was questioned at an undisclosed location in the morning and later shifted to the SIT office in the afternoon, where his arrest was formally recorded, sources said.
According to officials, the arrest was made based on statements given by prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty and former Travancore Devaswom Board president A. Padmakumar.
Activist Rahul Easwar reacted to the arrest of chief priest and said, “He has never been involved in any controversy in his life, has never been accused of any crime or blame, and in none of the 9 interim judgments of the Hon’ble High Court has there been a negative mention of Brahmasree Kantarar Rajeeva. The Tantri has no responsibility in administrative matters. He has authority and responsibility only in matters of faith and ritual.”
“He has performed pujas and performed pujas in more than 1,000 temples in more than 15 countries. Thazhamon is one of the 2 Brahmin families brought to Kerala by Lord Parasurama thousands of years ago. The ancestors of Sabarimala Ayyappa. (It is important to believe that Ayyappan is the one, not the Tantri, but… Only after the courts have taken a stand, the Tantri should be slandered – this stance is not because he is a relative, but because everyone wants justice. How many people, including Sri Nambi Narayanan, have been framed in false cases, and they have been in jail for months).”
