Key Points

The incident has triggered allegations of conspiracy and calls for a thorough investigation.

Devaswom Minister V.N. Vasavan on Monday said the sequence of events raised serious suspicion.

"Unnikrishnan himself lodged a complaint that the pedestal had gone missing, only for it to be found in his relative's house. This is highly mysterious. He is trying to fool the people, and his words cannot be trusted," the Minister stated.

Vasavan added that the matter will be reviewed based on the court's stance, with future decisions to follow accordingly.

The pedestal was recovered during an inquiry led by the vigilance wing of the Travancore Devaswom Board.

The Minister alleged that the act of concealing the pedestal and later reporting it missing pointed to a possible conspiracy.

"The circumstances make it impossible to believe Unnikrishnan's version," he said, while reiterating that all Sabarimala-related matters are being conducted transparently.

Former Travancore Devaswom Board president A. Padmakumar, under whose tenure the issue first surfaced, also weighed in. He stressed that the Vigilance Department must probe the matter to clear doubts.

"Neither Unnikrishnan nor Vasudevan had any particular benefit in taking the pedestal. Why they did so must be investigated," Padmakumar said.

He further explained that when a new pedestal was introduced, it was found not to properly align with the idol.

"When it was returned, Devaswom officials were responsible for preparing the necessary records. I believe they would have done that," he said.

Clarifying his position, Padmakumar noted that all actions at the time were carried out by the Thiruvabharanam Commissioner and other officials, and that he had no personal ties with Unnikrishnan.

As the controversy continues, the matter remains before the court, which will consider the vigilance report before further steps are taken.

For now, both the state government and former Devaswom leadership have called for clarity, with the focus on ensuring accountability and transparency in the temple's affairs.

- IANS