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Mutt under Endowments scanner

Special Correspondent

Department official visits Hathiramji Mutt; inspects strong room, bank lockers

— Photo: Ch. K. V. Poornachandra Kumar

Taking stock: N. Vijayakumar, Regional Joint Commissioner, Endowments Department, interacting with the authorities of the Hathiramji Mutt in Tirupati on Friday.

TIRUPATI: The controversy over the ‘mysterious’ disappearance of a bag supposed to contain ornaments worth Rs. 20 crore belonging to the Sri Hathiramji Mutt here took an interesting turn on Friday. The Hathiramji Mutt is the erstwhile custodian of the Tirumala temple prior to the passing of the A.P. Endowments Act in 1933.

Regional Joint Commissioner (RJC), Endowments, N. Vijayakumar began a detailed inquiry into the alleged disappearance. His inspection followed instructions from Endowments Commissioner Sundar Kumar for a thorough verification of all the issues raised in the media during the last two days.

The Joint Commissioner visited the Mutt and found that the seal on the lock of the Mutt’s strong room was intact.

He later went to the SBI’s branches in Tirupati and Chandragiri where some jewellery and ornaments belonging to the Mutt were being kept in safe deposit lockers for several decades in line with court orders. Mr. Vijaykumar said he did not make a physical verification of the contents of the lockers as he had no authority.

He, however, took a look at the boxes in the lockers and reportedly found them intact. The boxes are lying in the lockers of SBI’s Chandragiri branch since 1966, while those in the Tirupati branch are there since 1971. He said unless the district court issued permission, the boxes cannot be opened and their contents verified or evaluated.

Sends report

The Joint Commissioner dispatched a report on his findings which are expected to be tabled in the legislature which witnessed a heated debate on the alleged scams rocking the TTD and now the Hathiramji Mutt.

Meanwhile, Kamalkumar Swamiji, founder of ‘Hindu Devalaya Parirakshana Samithi’, said that in tune with the recommendations of the PVRK Prasad Committee’s report, all ornaments of the Tirumala temple must be kept in a high security ‘museum’ close to the temple and handled in a more transparent manner to allay apprehensions about their safety.

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