Thiruvananthapuram: A 2012 Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) order prohibiting individuals from claiming temple ritual items has spotlighted the 2017 handover of Sabarimala temple's gold-coated Vajivahanam to arrested tantri Kantarar Rajeevar. The ceremonial structure, recovered from his home during a Special Investigation Team (SIT) raid, fuels scrutiny of the UDF-appointed Board's decision under ex-Congress MLA Prayar Gopalakrishnan.
Rajeevar, arrested January 10 as the 13th accused in the temple gold heist case and now in judicial custody, received the Vajivahanam, installed on the flag post, from a panel including Congress leader Ajay Tharayil and a CPI(M) nominee. The 2012 directive mandates preserving replaced ritual assets as public property, making the transfer potentially irregular amid two SIT charge sheets naming Rajeevar.
Tharayil defended the move as compliant with tantric traditions, while Yogakshema Sabha president P.N.D. Nampoothiri called it customary and transparent, dismissing current criticism as politically motivated. Opposition leader V.D. Satheesan urged reviewing Sabarimala practices over decades but warned against diluting the gold theft probe. Investigators now probe if the handover breached rules governing temple assets.
(Inputs from IANS)