Sabarimala Gold Heist Probe Nears Crucial Court Deadline Amid Political Crossfire

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

With the Kerala High Court-mandated deadline fast approaching, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sensational Sabarimala gold heist case has moved into top gear, even as the probe has triggered a sharp political confrontation between the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).

The SIT is required to submit a crucial report to the High Court on February 9, a development that has intensified scrutiny of the investigation and fuelled allegations by the Opposition that the Pinarayi Vijayan government is attempting to interfere in the probe.

The UDF has repeatedly raised the issue on the floor of the Kerala Assembly, accusing the government of exerting pressure on the SIT at a politically sensitive juncture.

Amid this backdrop, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, speaking at a political meeting in Pathanamthitta on Friday, made pointed remarks linking AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal to the emergence of the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, in Sabarimala during Venugopal’s tenure as Devaswom Minister in 2004.

The remark immediately sparked a political backlash.

Responding on Saturday, Venugopal dismissed the Chief Minister’s claim with a laugh, asserting that Potti first surfaced in Sabarimala only in 2007, when the Left was in power. “I feel sorry for Vijayan. He knows he is caught in this issue and is now trying to see if he can trap others as well,” Venugopal said.

As the SIT accelerates its work, senior Congress MP and UDF convener Adoor Prakash appeared before the investigation team on Saturday to give his statement.

Prakash had come under the spotlight after a photograph surfaced showing him and fellow Congress MP Anto Antony standing alongside Potti and another accused in the presence of Sonia Gandhi — a visual the CPI(M) has repeatedly used to allege proximity between Congress leaders and the accused.

Reacting sharply, Congress Working Committee member Ramesh Chennithala dismissed Prakash’s questioning as an “election gimmick.” He said Prakash, being a long-time legislator and former minister from Pathanamthitta, would naturally have met Potti.

Chennithala also pointed out that photographs exist of Chief Minister Vijayan himself in Potti’s company.

Meanwhile, the SIT is expected to record the statement of former Devaswom Minister and senior CPI(M) legislator Kadakampally Surendran on Sunday. It would be the second time that he would be appearing. There are indications that Anto Antony may also be summoned.

Earlier this week, the High Court orally observed that the SIT probe appeared to be proceeding in the right direction, even as political tensions around the case continue to mount. Thirteen people were arrested by the SIT, and by now four people have got bail, and what has hurt the CPI-M most is that four of their leaders continue to be in jail.