The Madras High Court on Friday expressed its serious displeasure over Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department not having issued even a memo to its Additional Commissioner N. Thirumagal who was arrested by the Idol Wing-CID in connection with an idol theft case on December 16 and let out on bail on the same day.
A Division Bench of Justices R. Mahadevan and P.D. Audikesavalu wondered how the officer, accused of having played a key role in the theft of a peacock idol from the Kapaleeswarar temple at Mylapore in 2004, could be allowed to join duty after obtaining bail and continue to serve as Additional Commissioner of the same department.
The judges refused to accept the submission of HR&CE department that it had ordered an internal fact-finding inquiry into the issue, under the chairmanship of the executive officer of Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram, and only after the conclusion of the inquiry, a decision would be taken on acting against Ms. Thirumagal.
Justice Mahadevan said: “Yesterday, I came across a case where the executive officer of Varadarajapuram temple in Kancheepuram had been suspended from service for the simple charge of having not conducted Pagal Pathu and Ra Pathu events. But here, you have not acted against an Additional Commissioner who was arrested by the police.
“An FIR (First Information Report) has been registered against her in the idol theft case and two Joint Commissioners of HR&CE department have accused her of having destroyed the records related to the consecration of Kapaleeswarar temple in 2004. This court had dismissed her anticipatory bail. Are these things not sufficient to act against her?” the judge asked.
The questions were raised during the hearing of a public interest litigation petition filed by V. Sekar, a devotee, against the fact-finding inquiry ordered by the department. He contended that such a parallel inquiry would derail the criminal investigation being conducted by the Idol Wing-CID into the alleged theft of the peacock idol.
After hearing the submissions of the petitioner as well as the department, the Bench adjourned the case by a week. The judges also directed the State government to make sure that all police officers, whom the Idol Wing CID’s Special Officer A.G. Ponn Manickavel had repatriated to their parent departments, return the case diaries to the officer forthwith.
