SIT to inspect Tantri Rajeevaru's house today; charges punishable with life term added

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Special Investigation Team will carry out a search today at the house of Tantri Kandaru Rajeevaru, who was arrested in the Sabarimala gold theft case. However, it is not clear when the search will take place. The SIT had conducted searches at the houses of former Devaswom chiefs, Padmakumar and Vasu, who were arrested earlier in the case.

The Tantri has been charged with serious sections, punishable up to life imprisonment. In addition to conspiracy and corruption, various sections of breach of trust, misuse of property, and forgery have also been charged.

The SIT said that the Tantri, who is responsible for protecting the sanctity, spiritual value, and divine presence of the temple, supported serious ritual violations. By not informing the board about the removal of the panels, he gave criminal silent consent to the theft and did not stop Potty from taking away the gold panels.

The items removed included two gold-plated panels with Dashavatar carvings on the sanctum door, a panel on the upper step, and two prabhamandalam panels featuring gold-plated Shiva and Vyali figures. These were removed and handed over to Potty on May 18, 2019, based on a Devaswom Board order issued on March 20, 2019. The SIT noted that divine permission was not sought and proper tantric procedures were not followed.

Even when the temple opened for the Mithunam month poojas on June 15, 2019, the panels had not been returned, a fact the Tantri was aware of. He was present at the Sannidhanam during this period as well. When the panels were finally brought back and reinstalled on June 18, 2019, Rajeevaru was present. As per the Devaswom Manual, repairs of valuable temple items must be carried out within the temple premises, and such items should not be taken outside. The earlier gold-coating work carried out using gold sponsored by Vijay Mallya was also done within the Sannidhanam premises.