Govt pleader appointment sparks Sabarimala gold theft row
THE new V.D. Satheesan-led UDF government has found itself at the centre of a major controversy following the appointment of Advocate K.B. Pradeep, counsel for a company accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case, as Special Government Pleader for the Devaswom Department in the Kerala High Court.
The Devaswom is the apex body of all temples in the state that are directly managed by the various Devaswom Boards in Kerala.
The appointment has sparked sharp criticism from political opponents and unease within sections of the Congress, with questions being raised over the propriety of entrusting a key legal position in the Devaswom Department to a lawyer who has represented Smart Creations, the Chennai-based company facing scrutiny in the high-profile case.
The controversy has deepened because the government is understood to have created the post of Special Government Pleader specifically for Pradeep.
Until now, the department had only the Senior Government Pleader position. Critics have questioned both the necessity of the new post and the choice of appointee, alleging a conflict of interest given his association with the company involved in the case.
Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan’s defence of the appointment has added to the political storm.
While maintaining that the appointment was made by the Chief Minister and was within his authority, the minister remarked that “someone who knows the weaknesses of the accused can be useful”. This statement has drawn widespread criticism.
Opposition parties have argued that the remark effectively justifies bringing a lawyer associated with the defence side into a position representing the government.
Outgoing Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan on Friday said this clearly shows that the present state government is not serious about finding the truth in the gold scam case attached to the Sabarimala temple.
“If they were serious, would this appointment take place?” asked Vasavan. His former cabinet colleagues, P. Rajeeve and K.N. Balagopal, also slammed the appointment of Pradeep.
At the centre of the controversy is Smart Creations, a Chennai-based firm alleged to have links to Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused in the theft of gold worth crores of rupees from gold-plated structures at the Sabarimala temple.
Investigators have alleged that panels removed from the shrine were taken to the company’s facility, where the gold was separated and allegedly diverted for use in works at other temples.
The company and its projects in Kerala have remained under the scanner of investigating agencies, with several aspects of the alleged theft still under probe.
Against this backdrop, the government’s decision to appoint the company’s lawyer to represent the Devaswom Department has fuelled allegations that the move could compromise public confidence in the handling of one of Kerala’s most sensitive temple-related criminal investigations.
Critics are now demanding that the government review the appointment and explain the circumstances under which it was made.
