Sabarimala gold loss case: Court remarks on Tantri’s arrest fuel fresh political row

Thiruvananthapuram: The recent observation by the Kollam Vigilance Court that there was no iota of evidence against Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru in the Sabarimala gold loss case has triggered a political debate, with opposition parties targeting the state government.

Referring to the court’s observations, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar questioned on Saturday why Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru was arrested, given that there was “no iota of evidence” against him.

“Tantri was arrested to divert attention from the involvement of former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran. There is no doubt about it, as the court itself said there is no iota of evidence against Tantri,” he alleged.

He further claimed that no investigation was being conducted against Surendran or the current Devaswom Minister, V N Vasavan.

“We will expose the flaws in the investigation and the involvement of leaders,” he said, demanding that the probe be handed over to the CBI.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, V D Satheesan, said that the SIT should clarify the reason behind Tantri’s arrest and explain what offence he had committed in connection with the Sabarimala gold loss case.

He added that the Opposition had sought clarification as early as January 11 regarding the basis of the arrest and that the incident in which the Tantri (chief priest) spent 40 days in jail without any evidence should be investigated under the supervision of the High Court.

“The public should be told what the wrongdoing was and under what circumstances he was imprisoned,” he said.

Senior Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said that the Tantri, who handles only the spiritual affairs of the Lord Ayyappa temple, was trapped to divert attention in the case.

“The government should explain the situation behind the distorted version created in the case by targeting the Tantri. The SIT, which is controlled by the state government, should provide answers to the public,” Radhakrishnan said.

He alleged that including the Tantri in the case was an attempt to shield the real culprits.

“Who gave permission to arrest the Tantri, and on what basis was such a direction given? If there is any evidence, it should be presented to the public. Those who created distorted versions in the case are standing with the real culprits,” he said.

He further alleged that the incident revealed external pressure on the SIT to arrest the Tantri without evidence.

“Those behind this external pressure should now be revealed,” he said.

When asked whether the Congress party believed that the Tantri was falsely implicated, Radhakrishnan said this was evident from the court order granting him bail.

Meanwhile, the Tantri’s argument before the court during the bail hearing—that he was arrested in retaliation for his stand against the entry of women of menstruating age following the Supreme Court order in 2018—was also widely discussed in political circles.

Minister M B Rajesh said that all the accused persons put forward arguments, and the Tantri was no exception. “Will the arguments of other accused also be accepted like this?” he asked.

He said the investigation was being conducted under the supervision of the Kerala High Court.

“The report on the progress of the investigation is filed in a sealed cover regularly. It is the Division Bench of the Kerala High Court that expressed satisfaction over the probe and clarified that details of the investigation are not shared with anyone else,” he said.

He asked whether the High Court should not be believed. “Currently, we do not believe the accused but the Division Bench of the Kerala High Court,” he said.

BJP leader and former Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai, after launching his book ‘Sabarimala Samaravum Suvarna Avasara Vidhiyum’ on Saturday, said he had directed Tantri Rajeevaru to close the doors of the Sabarimala temple when two women escorted by the police were approaching the shrine for entry in 2018.

“When the holy 18th step onwards was sealed, the Tantri and his assistants sat there and defied the state government,” he said.

He added that when the Tantri was in jail, he wanted to visit his family but was discouraged by party workers, as he had been made an accused in the Sabarimala case.