Thiruvananthapuram, 27 July (H.S.):The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged Sabarimala gold misappropriation case has moved the Kollam Vigilance Court seeking custody of former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president P.S. Prasanth and Ajikumar for detailed interrogation. Investigators believe custodial questioning is necessary to gather further evidence in the case, and officials indicated that more arrests could follow as the probe progresses.
The SIT has also been directed to examine the administrative shortcomings that allegedly contributed to lapses in safeguarding temple valuables and to suggest measures to prevent similar irregularities in the future.
The latest development comes amid serious concerns raised by the Devaswom Board's audit wing regarding deficiencies in the management and verification of valuables at the Sabarimala temple. According to submissions made before the court, the audit department complained that the Board had failed to provide essential records required for a proper examination of accounts and inventories.
The audit wing informed the court that no comprehensive annual physical verification of the temple's valuable assets has been conducted for the past 43 years. Under existing rules, a concurrent audit is mandatory, but officials alleged that repeated requests for documents were met with objections and delays, making effective auditing difficult.
Although several key offerings and receipt systems have been digitised, auditors said they were not provided access credentials, including login details and passwords, required to verify digital records. This has prevented a complete audit of transactions carried out through the electronic system.
The audit department also pointed to deficiencies in maintaining registers for gold ornaments, bronze vessels, saffron and other valuable materials kept in the temple, as well as articles received as offerings from devotees. The absence of accurate and updated records has raised concerns over transparency and accountability in the management of temple assets.
Taking note of these findings, the Kerala High Court had earlier directed that a detailed investigation be carried out, leading to the ongoing SIT probe into the alleged irregularities.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman
