Court remarks on Tantri’s arrest fuel fresh political row over Sabarimala gold loss case
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The recent observation by the Kollam Vigilance Court that there was no iota of evidence against Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru in the Sabarimala gold loss case has triggered a political debate, with opposition parties targeting the state government.
Referring to the court’s observations, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar questioned on Saturday why Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru was arrested, given that there was “no iota of evidence” against him.
“Tantri was arrested to divert attention from the involvement of former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran. There is no doubt about it, as the court itself said there is no iota of evidence against Tantri,” he alleged.
He further claimed that no investigation was being conducted against Surendran or the current Devaswom Minister, V N Vasavan.
“We will expose the flaws in the investigation and the involvement of leaders,” he said, demanding that the probe be handed over to the CBI.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, V D Satheesan, said that the SIT should clarify the reason behind Tantri’s arrest and explain what offence he had committed in connection with the Sabarimala gold loss case.
He added that the Opposition had sought clarification as early as January 11 regarding the basis of the arrest and that the incident in which the Tantri (chief priest) spent 40 days in jail without any evidence should be investigated under the supervision of the High Court.
“The public should be told what the wrongdoing was and under what circumstances he was imprisoned,” he said.
Senior Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said that the Tantri, who handles only the spiritual affairs of the Lord Ayyappa temple, was trapped to divert attention in the case.
“The government should explain the situation behind the distorted version created in the case by targeting the Tantri. The SIT, which is controlled by the state government, should provide answers to the public,” Radhakrishnan said.
He alleged that including the Tantri in the case was an attempt to shield the real culprits.
“Who gave permission to arrest the Tantri, and on what basis was such a direction given? If there is any evidence, it should be presented to the public. Those who created distorted versions in the case are standing with the real culprits,” he said.
He further alleged that the incident revealed external pressure on the SIT to arrest the Tantri without evidence.
“Those behind this external pressure should now be revealed,” he said.
When asked whether the Congress party believed that the Tantri was falsely implicated, Radhakrishnan said this was evident from the court order granting him bail.
Meanwhile, the Tantri’s argument before the court during the bail hearing—that he was arrested in retaliation for his stand against the entry of women of menstruating age following the Supreme Court order in 2018—was also widely discussed in political circles.
Minister M B Rajesh said that all the accused persons put forward arguments, and the Tantri was no exception. “Will the arguments of other accused also be accepted like this?” he asked.
He said the investigation was being conducted under the supervision of the Kerala High Court.
“The report on the progress of the investigation is filed in a sealed cover regularly. It is the Division Bench of the Kerala High Court that expressed satisfaction over the probe and clarified that details of the investigation are not shared with anyone else,” he said.
He asked whether the High Court should not be believed. “Currently, we do not believe the accused but the Division Bench of the Kerala High Court,” he said.
BJP leader and former Governor P S Sreedharan Pillai, after launching his book ‘Sabarimala Samaravum Suvarna Avasara Vidhiyum’ on Saturday, said he had directed Tantri Rajeevaru to close the doors of the Sabarimala temple when two women escorted by the police were approaching the shrine for entry in 2018.
“When the holy 18th step onwards was sealed, the Tantri and his assistants sat there and defied the state government,” he said.
He added that when the Tantri was in jail, he wanted to visit his family but was discouraged by party workers, as he had been made an accused in the Sabarimala case.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
