The Kerala Police have registered a case against ten Hindu workers, including Goa Governor P.S. Sreedharan Pillai (72) and O. Rajagopal (96), senior BJP leader, former Union Minister and former MLA. The case was registered in connection with the 2018 agitation by Hindu devotees against the breach and violation of Sabarimala temple customs and rituals. The agitation took place when the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF), presided over by Pinarayi Vijayan, attempted to bring young women to the shrine, following a Supreme Court verdict. According to tradition, women between the ages of 10 and 50 are not allowed to visit the Sabarimala temple.
The charge sheet was issued in 2022. Goa Governor Adv. P.S. Sreedharan Pillai is listed as the eighth accused. He was the state BJP president during the agitation, but had become the Governor by the time the charge sheet was issued. Both Sreedharan Pillai and O. Rajagopal have been included in the list of “identifiable accused”. Legal experts opine that Sreedharan Pillai cannot be charge-sheeted, even though the case existed before he assumed the role of Governor.
Recently, Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister and CPM supremo, stated that all cases pertaining to the Sabarimala agitation had been withdrawn. However, Governor Sreedharan Pillai and O. Rajagopal remain on the list of accused. This development only came to light when other individuals on the list received summons.
Interestingly, the case concerns the alleged wrecking of a car using weapons in Mannar, Alappuzha district. It has become something of a laughing stock, given the social standing and advanced age of both Sreedharan Pillai and O. Rajagopal.
The move has drawn public ire, owing to the constitutional status of the accused. O. Rajagopal was an MLA when the incident reportedly occurred. Kummanam Rajasekharan, former Mizoram Governor and senior BJP leader, Hindu Aikyavedi Patron K.P. Sasikala Teacher, and state president R.V. Babu have condemned the government’s action, stating that it is nothing but political vendetta against respected public figures.
As of now, Sreedharan Pillai has not received any summons. He stated that he has no connection with the incident and was not even present at the location. He questioned the direction in which the Kerala Government is heading and remarked that even the police seem to lack common sense.
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