The Hindu : National : Fresh date for inspection of Jayalalithaa's offering sought

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 11, 2005

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National

Fresh date for inspection of Jayalalithaa's offering sought

By Our Staff Reporter

GURUVAYUR, JAN. 10. The Income Tax (IT) officials have sought a fresh date from the Guruvayur Sree Krishna Temple authorities for physical assessment of the value of the diamonds fixed on the gold crown offered by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to the temple in June 2001.

The officials had earlier decided to conduct the inspection of the crown last Saturday after consulting the Guruvayur Devaswom Managing Committee. However, the Devaswom subsequently suggested deferring the inspection as the administrator, K. Anil Kumar, who is the joint custodian of the temple locker, could not enter the temple till January 15 following the death of a close relative. The Guruvayur Devaswom Commissioner K Mohandas told The Hindu here the IT Commissioner, Vijayakumar, had written another letter suggesting that it would be possible for him to conduct the inspection between January 21 and 24, provided that was convenient to the Devaswom authorities. ``But I think it is only a routine communication of the Department. Anyway the Devaswom managing committee will take a fresh view of the whole development, after taking into account of the religious sentiments and the legal obligations, in its proposed meeting on January 21,'' Mr Mohandas said.

The Minister for Devaswom, K.C. Venugopal, said the State Government was against giving sanction to the IT authorities to inspect the crown offered by Ms. Jayalalithaa. "It might mean setting a wrong precedence. The Government does not want that to happen," the Minister told The Hindu when contacted.

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