Rejecting the Opposition’s charge that the government was not extending cooperation to Inspector General of Police Ponn Manickavel in the investigation of idol theft cases, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Friday said appropriate steps were being taken to recover the stolen idols.
The Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department too was extending its cooperation to the probe of the idol theft cases, he said in the Assembly.
A few days ago, Mr. Manickavel and a HR&CE Department official openly traded allegations against each other in the Madras High Court with the police officer accusing the latter of not extending cooperation to probe the idol theft cases.
Raising the issue in the House during Zero Hour, DMK working president and Leader of the Opposition M.K. Stalin referred to the critical observations made by the Madras High Court against the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police, in connection with the case. Congress Legislative Party leader K.R. Ramasamy too questioned the government on the issue.
Explaining, Mr. Stalin referred to the observations of the High Court four times. He pointed out that following submission of Mr. Manickavel that the government was not cooperating in the probe of the case, Justice R. Mahadevan observed that the court would be forced to summon the Chief Secretary and the DGP.
To this, Mr. Palaniswami said the special wing to probe idol theft cases was formed only during the erstwhile M. G. Ramachandran-led AIADMK government and that many stolen idols were recovered now.
Mr. Stalin said his question was only regarding the observation of the High Court on the lack of cooperation on the part of the Chief Secretary and the DGP in the probe.
‘Not in House’s tradition’
But, the Chief Minister contended that it was not in the traditions of the House to criticise or comment on the observations and orders of the High Court.
In his reply to Mr. Ramasamy, the Chief Minister claimed that the Congress MLA was attempting to create an impression as if it was only during the AIADMK regime idols were being stolen. He recalled that it was during the tenure of late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa that the Temple Protection Force was formed.
