State govt. shares High Court’s satisfaction with SIT probe, says Vasavan

The State government shares the satisfaction expressed by the Kerala High Court regarding the probe by the special investigation team (SIT) into the gold theft case linked to the Sabarimala temple, Minister for Cooperation and Devaswom V.N. Vasavan said here on Wednesday.

“The court has expressed satisfaction with the probe and this is the most authoritative comment and document,” Mr. Vasavan told a press conference here.

The State government has never tried to put pressure on the SIT and the Chief Minister had already made this clear. It was the Kerala government that sought an investigation by a special team into the incident.

On the SIT quizzing former Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, Mr. Vasavan said the SIT was free to summon or question anyone as part its probe.

He also added that the State government did not have any right into interfere in the day-to-day business or policies of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). The government’s role, he said, was confined to making the necessary infrastructure arrangements during the pilgrimage season. That was being done this year as well, he said.