SC notice to Centre on disappearance of illicit wealth

The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Centre on a petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the ‘disappearance’ of illicit wealth from a temple in Guwahati in 2014.

According to sources, cash to the tune of Rs 300 crore, 300 kg gold and some other articles were stashed in the temple.

A 3-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice T S Thakur issued notices to the Centre and Assam government while seeking their replies within 6 weeks.

The petition filed by a former army personnel Manoj Kumar Kaushal had claimed that he had received information in May, 2014, that there was unaccounted money to the tune of Rs 300 crore in cash, 300 kg of gold and 2 AK-47 rifles in a Kali temple in a tea garden near Dispur Airport of Guwahati.

Ulfa involved

He had also claimed that Mridul Bhattacharya, the owner of that tea garden, used to collect money from owners of tea gardens and give it to United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) and was also involved in smuggling of gold from Myanmar.

However, Bhattacharya and his wife were murdered under suspicious circumstances in 2012, Kaushal had said. Further, the petition had said that 13 persons hatched a conspiracy and took away the treasure on May 31, 2014, a day before the army was to recover it.

The petitioner claimed the treasure was misappropriated in conspiracy with higher police officers.