Devaswom Board Sabotaging Cases of Graft?

Thiruvananthapuram: Cases pertaining to graft in Travancore Devaswom Board are said to be sabotaged by members of Devaswom Board, with political aid. The cases are said to be those with clear evidences, with clear indications that penalty will executed. The ironical part is that most of the graft cases mount to swindling of crores, where extra silver is being pumped in to hush up the same.

According to sources, the Special Officer is said to have taken an advance amount of Rs Two Crore, without having submitted a voucher in the successive Mandalam season. An inquiry was called for, when a case of graft was evident. However, with a non-cooperating Devaswom Board, the inquiry did not make much progress and was brought to an end by Ministry of Home Affairs.

Another case that has been stalled is a case of robbery, where the golden mask was stolen from Narayanapuram Temple, Cherthallai. Devaswom Board inquiry gave clear evidences to the fact that the original mask was cleverly replaced with a duplicate piece. Even though the duplicate piece was said to have been made in gold, there was remarkable difference in quality and purity of gold that was used. The Devaswom Board Deputy Commissioner’s inquiry report also revealed that the deed was done with the consent and knowledge of a group of officers belonging to the Devaswom Board. However, the police case regarding the same reached nowhere.

A case, where Rs Twelve Lakhs offered by devotees of SreeGanapathy Temple, Kottarakkara towards Udayasthamana Pooja was swindled, was cleverly sealed by board members. Soon after the fraud came to light, a sub-group officer allegedly involved in the deed, was suspended from the post, following orders from the government, even though he was sought after by many officers of the board. The case was covered up with a fabricated statement that the money, along with interest amount, was recovered from the officer who defrauded. However, he was reinstated after a gap of 11 years, that too with consideration of sub-pension term duty.

The Devaswom Board has another tale to speak. According to them, the officer was reinstated on humanitarian grounds. But many questions arose as to what humanitarian treatment was met out to a person who swindled lakhs and why! Allegations that the suspended officer used to act as ‘benami’, on behalf of officers who were associated with shady monetary dealings, have cropped up.

In such instances, the Devaswom Board Commissioner has to take a firm stand, is in a denial mode himself. He himself faces three vigilance cases. 

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