Devaswom Minister V N Vasavan on Wednesday called the handover of the 'Vajivahanam' to the Sabarimala Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru unauthorised, contrary to an earlier High Court decision approving the move.

Responding to a question raised in the Assembly on the authority of the President of the Devaswom Board and its members to hand over the 'Vajivahanam' to the Tantri to keep as his private possession, Vasavan said that neither party is permitted to do so.

The Special Investigation Team probing the Sabarimala gold theft case had earlier told the High Court that the ‘Vajivahanam’ was recovered and seized during the search conducted at the Tantri's residence. The SIT alleged that malpractice had occurred in the circumstances surrounding the dismantling of the earlier Kodimaram and the erection of the new one, and said that the matter is under investigation.

However, this claim conflicts with a 2017 interim report citing that the High Court had approved the transfer of the artefact to Tantri.

The interim report, filed by Advocate Commissioner ASP Kurup, noted that the vaji vahanam was handed over to the Tantri by the then Devaswom Board president following the conduct of the Jeevodswam on February 17, 2017. The report was approved by a Division Bench comprising Justice Ramachandra Menon and Devan Ramachandran. Any deviation from this earlier judicial finding could place the court in a contradictory position. 

Meanwhile, the SIT has accused Rajeevaru of knowingly permitting the unauthorised removal of temple valuables, violating ritual practices, and giving criminal tacit consent as part of a larger conspiracy, according to the remand report. He was remanded into judicial custody for 14 days on Saturday after he was arrested in the second case related to gold theft from the Dwarapalaka idols.

In response to a question, Vasavan also said that the President and Secretary of the Devaswom Board at the time did not face any legal action for their involvement in the alleged incident.