The statement given by senior CPI(M) activist and former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) member N. Vijayakumar, soon after his arrest by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the Sabarimala gold heist case, has placed the ruling party in an increasingly uncomfortable position.
Vijayakumar told investigators on Monday that he signed key documents related to the controversial gold-plating works only after being instructed to do so by “comrade” A. Padmakumar, the then TDB president, who is now in judicial custody.
Padmakumar, a former CPI(M) MLA and a member of the party’s Pathanamthitta district committee, figures prominently in the remand report.
According to Vijayakumar’s statement, all major decisions were taken by Padmakumar, who presented the proposal for renewing the gold plating at a Devaswom Board meeting.
Trusting him, Vijayakumar said, he signed the papers without even reading the contents.
He also told the SIT that he chose to surrender as continuing to remain outside would have caused embarrassment to the government.
The remand report paints a grim picture. It states that Vijayakumar failed to properly discharge his official duties and colluded with other accused to provide undue benefits, causing financial loss to the Devaswom Board.
Vijayakumar is the 12th accused in the gold-sheet case and the 15th accused in the Dwarapalaka sculpture case, underlining the widening scope of the investigation.
The political fallout, however, may prove more damaging than the legal process itself. Vijayakumar’s statement came just hours after CPI(M) State Secretary M.V. Govindan once again defended the party’s decision not to suspend Padmakumar, arguing that the probe was still underway.