Idol thefts: Cooperate or will give cases to CBI, HC warns HR&CE

The Warning of ordering a CBI probe into pending idol theft cases, Justice R Mahadevan censured the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment (HR&CE) officials for not complying with the directions of the court to provide necessary infrastructure to the Idol Wing headed by Inspector General of Police AG Ponn Manickavel.

He also held that the Court would have no choice but to summon the Chief Secretary and the HR&CE Commissioner if its orders are not complied with within two weeks.

Justice Mahadevan made the oral observations in two separate pleas moved by R Venkataraman and advocate Elephant G Rajendran seeking transfer of investigation of all the pending idol thefts cases to the file of CB-CID. The court then posted the pleas to January 24 for further hearing.

On July 21, 2017 the court on rapping the HR&CE department for failing to safeguard valuable antique idols, had set aside the transfer of Pon Manickavel out of the Idol Wing Police and directed the State to issue an order entrusting him with the probe in pending cases of temple idol thefts.

Also, in a bid to expedite trial in the cases, it also directed the transfer of all the idol theft cases pending on the file of various courts in the State to the file of the additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kumbakonam, so as to enable hearing cases on a day-to-day basis.

In his order then, Justice Mahadevan had held “It is saddening to note that the idols stolen from the State are smuggled out of the country. A Wing, a first of its kind, was created to investigate and recover the idols, but the steps taken by the HR&CE Department to arrest the theft are unsatisfactory.”

Also, observing that in the cases in hand, the erring officials have had a free run in handling the idols as if it was their private property, the judge had directed HR&CE to submit a report to Pon Manickavel on the number of temples under its control and the list of archakars employed under them with a specific direction to the officer to prosecute the delinquent officials if prima facie case is made out.