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Sexual abuse cases rock Kerala temple


mangaloretoday.com/ NDTV

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, April 19:  Kerala’s Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, estimated to be home for assets worth Rs 1 lakh crore, has been found to be marred with frequent instances of sexual harassment within its premises by the Supreme Court appointed amicus curiae, who also discovered systematic pilferage from its treasure trove.

Kerala’s Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, estimated to be home for assets worth Rs 1 lakh crore, has been found to be marred with “frequent instances of sexual harassment” within its premises by the Supreme Court appointed amicus curiae, who also discovered systematic pilferage from its treasure trove.

 

Padmanabhaswam...There are "serious lapses" in management of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple and the invaluable wealth its underground vaults contain, according to a report submitted in Supreme Court by the amicus curiae that favoured a direction for scientific audit of the treasure.

In his final report, senior advocate Gopal Subramaniam pointed out that during visits, he noted unaccounted invaluable items stored in different rooms, besides gold plating and sheeting machines.

However, he was bothered with “an issue which cropped up with alarming frequency, instances of sexual harassment within the temple premises.”

“A woman was appointed for stitching clothes for the main deity. She was later appointed as computer operator on daily wages. One guard commander called Krishnan Kutty Kurup had attempted to sexually harass her,” Subramaniam wrote.

“She was treated insensitively and there was total inaction on the part of the administrative officer. Because she raised the issue, she was dismissed from service, following which she filed an FIR,” he said in his 500-page report.

“The amicus curiae believes that all women employees must be safe from any act of sexual harassment. Apart from that woman, another person brought to the attention of the amicus curiae that there is sexual harassment. The deputy commissioner of police also said there are frequent allegations of molestations,” the report submitted to the apex court said.

The counsel suggested setting up a three-member committee consisting of Lakshmi bayi–a member of the Travancore royal family which controls the temple trust–along with Prof Sashibhooshan and a woman lawyer to look into any allegations of sexual harassment. In the first case, the executive officer offered to reinstate her to the post that she held at the time of her dismissal upon the request made by the amicus curiae, the report stated.

 

Supreme Court panel hints at mismanagement of wealth in Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple


The report, submitted by amicus curiae Gopal Subramaniam on Firday, also wanted the court to restrain the head of the Travancore Royal family from interfering in the day-to-day affairs of the temple as its trustees.

It urged the top court to order audit of the treasures by a competent team, preferably led by former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai.

Casting a shadow on the trustees, the report said though they had opposed opening one of the vaults identified as ’Kallara-B", there had been eyewitness accounts of it being opened some year back.

Subramaniam, who drew up the comprehensive report staying in the Kerala capital for several days, cited several instances of "mismanagement" and even the possibility of organised extraction by highly placed persons.

The family shrine of the Travancore royal house that ruled south Kerala for centuries, Sree Padmanabhawamy temple hogged worlwide media glare in 2011 as a court-ordered inventory confirmed that its underground vaults contained huge treasures.

With a litigant seeking higher transparency in the management of the shrine and its riches, the top court ordered the inventory of the treasures.

The royal house has approached the Supreme Court against the High Court order directing the government to look into the possibility of the taking over the temple.


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