Vigilance Records Statements of Mohanlal, Dileep in Sabarimala Flag Mast Gold Probe
The statements of actors Mohanlal and Dileep were recorded by the vigilance team investigating financial irregularities in the installation of a new flag mast at the Sabarimala Temple. The vigilance special team questioned the actors regarding details of the gold donated for the project. Their statements were recorded yesterday.
Mohanlal stated that his friend and Union Minister Suresh Gopi had requested him to donate gold. He told the team that he purchased two sovereigns of gold from a jeweller in Thiruvananthapuram and sent it to Pampa through a friend. Mohanlal’s statement was recorded while he was in Thiruvananthapuram, while Dileep's statement was recorded in Kochi. The exact quantity of gold donated by Dileep remains unclear.
Earlier, the team had recorded statements from director Shaji Kailas, screenwriter Renji Panicker and producer Suresh Kumar, who had also donated gold for the construction of the flag mast. The statement of Union Minister Suresh Gopi had already been registered. The vigilance team is recording statements from 27 donors, of which statements from 22 individuals have been collected so far.
On February 9, the Kerala High Court granted the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) 30 days to complete the inquiry and submit its report.
A report submitted before the High Court by the Chief Vigilance Officer of the Travancore Devaswom Board stated that in August 2016, it was decided that the installation of the new flag mast would be carried out entirely at the expense of Phoenix Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, Hyderabad. According to the report, an estimate of ₹3.20 crore prepared by the Devaswom Chief Engineer was approved by the Board on September 23, 2016.
The report further revealed that 9.161 kilograms of gold were purchased from the Customs Department on March 22, 2017, while devotees contributed an additional 412 grams of gold for the project. Thus, the total quantity of gold available, including Customs purchases and donations, was 9,573.010 grams, whereas the quantity recorded as utilised for the flag mast was 9,340.200 grams, the High Court observed.
The court also noted that the absence of individual receipts issued to donors deprived them of documentary proof regarding the accounting of gold donations. This amounted to a serious procedural lapse and a grave violation of Devaswom Rules and financial accountability norms.
Earlier, the Devaswom vigilance had submitted a report to the High Court pointing to serious violations in accepting gold for the construction of the new flag mast. Visuals of Suresh Gopi, Gokul Suresh, Sudheer Karamana, Renji Panicker, Suresh Kumar and others attending the related function had surfaced earlier. However, the list submitted by former Advocate Commissioner ASP Kurup reportedly included only Suresh Gopi's name.
Responding to the issue, Suresh Gopi clarified that he personally affixed gold sheets on the Vaji Vahanam atop the flag mast. He also stated that his son Gokul Suresh, director Shaji Kailas and screenwriter Renji Panicker had jointly fixed gold on the Ashtadikpalaka idols.