41 Tamil Nadu idol theft files missing, SC asks if this was due to fire or by design

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has pulled up Tamil Nadu govt over 41 missing files related to investigations into theft of idols in the state and raised the question whether fires occur simultaneously in 38 different police stations or was there any circular to destroy the files.

A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and R Mahadevan issued notice to the ministry of external affairs and the ministry of culture in a case concerning the recovery of idols stolen since 1985 from various temples in Tamil Nadu, which are said to be in foreign museums.

"Right from day one, petitions have been filed in the Madras high court pointing out that 376 idols have been stolen. The details were placed before authorities for recovery. They pointed out that the idols were available in museums abroad. When details were placed before authorities, 41 files went missing. What is the reason behind these files going missing? Where are those files," the bench asked the state.

The Supreme Court was hearing a petition filed by advocate Elephant G Rajendran seeking an investigation into the disappearance of 41 case diaries connected to thefts of antique temple idols in Tamil Nadu.The petitioner alleged that more than 50 idols were stolen and that the fate of the recovered idols was not known. Rajendran said the stolen idols were kept in museums abroad, including in California and Washington.

The apex court said that it was the responsibility of the state to protect culture and asked how 41 files had gone missing. "Did fires occur simultaneously in 38 different police stations destroying the files? Or was there any circular to destroy the files," the top court observed.

Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for Tamil Nadu, told the SC bench that some of the files had been reconstructed and some of the idols have been recovered.tnn


Select The Times of India as your preferred source on Google Search