Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 16 (IANS) A 2012 order issued by the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) Commissioner, which surfaced on Friday, has come under sharp focus in the wake of the Sabarimala gold heist case, raising serious questions about the 2017 handing over of the temple’s ‘Vajivahanam’ to the arrested tantri, Kantarar Rajeevar, who is in judicial custody.

In 2017, the then UDF-appointed Travancore Devaswom Board, headed by former Congress MLA Prayar Gopalakrishnan, handed over the Vajivahanam of the famed Sabarimala temple to Rajeevar. The Vajivahanam was later recovered from the tantri’s home during a raid by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) following his arrest. Rajeevar was arrested on January 10 and has been named the 13th accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case.

The Vajivahanam is a decorative ceremonial structure made of an alloy coated with gold and mounted on the temple flag post.

When the Vajivahanam was handed over to Rajeevar in 2017, the then Board also included Congress leader Ajay Tharayil and a CPI(M) nominee.

The 2017 decision has now acquired renewed significance as Rajeevar has since been named as an accused in two charge sheets filed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by the Kerala High Court to probe the alleged gold robbery at Sabarimala.

Investigators are now examining whether the handing over violated existing rules governing temple assets. Ajay Tharayil defended the Board’s decision, maintaining that it was taken strictly in accordance with established procedures.

“We followed the tantric traditions and handed it over to the tantris. There was nothing irregular in the process,” he said.

Supporting this view, P.N.D. Nampoothiri, president of Yogakshema Sabha, the body representing tantris, said there was nothing improper about the handover.

“This was done as per long-standing customs and accepted practices. It was a clean and transparent act by the Board. If the issue is being raised now, it is with vested interests,” he told the media.

Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V.D. Satheesan, said there was no harm in scrutinising events at Sabarimala over the past 50 years. However, he cautioned against linking the Vajivahanam issue with the ongoing gold heist probe.

“The emergence of this issue should not be seen as a reason to soften the stand on the gold heist,” he said.

Crucially, the 2012 order issued by the TDB Commissioner states that items used in temple rituals and other properties of the Devaswom cannot be claimed by individuals.

The order further mandates that when new items are installed, replaced objects must be preserved as public property.

The 2017 handover took place while this directive was in force, a factor now expected to pose a significant legal challenge for the former Board and its administrative committee as the investigation gathers momentum.

–IANS

sg/dpb