THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major embarrassment to the V.D. Satheesan-led UDF government, Devaswom Special Government Pleader K B Pradeep resigned from his post on Saturday.
The resignation came after Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan moved to seek his removal amid mounting criticism over appointing a lawyer associated with a company linked to the Sabarimala gold theft case to handle crucial temple-related legal matters.
Pradeep’s appointment to the Kerala High Court had sparked a massive political controversy. Opposition parties fiercely questioned the decision to hire a lawyer who had previously represented Smart Creations, a Chennai-based firm under scrutiny in the Sabarimala gold scam investigation.
The row escalated further when it was revealed that the government had specially created the post of Special Government Pleader for Pradeep. Prior to this, the Devaswom Department had only one Senior Government Pleader, and no such special position existed.
Smart Creations is currently under investigation for the alleged theft of gold from the gold-plated structures of the Sabarimala temple. The company is closely linked to the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty. Investigators allege that panels removed from the shrine were taken to the company’s facility, where the gold was stripped off and diverted for other purposes.
Pradeep had previously defended Smart Creations in the media, claiming the company did no wrong and lacked the technical capability to add gold onto an already gold-plated surface.
The political storm deepened after Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan defended the appointment, stating that “someone who knows the weaknesses of the accused can be useful.” The Opposition sharply attacked the remark, arguing that it appeared to justify appointing a defence-aligned lawyer to represent the government.
Taking a swipe at the new administration on Saturday, former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the appointment of Pradeep “explains everything” about how things are running under the current government.
This resignation marks the second major controversy over appointments to hit the newly formed UDF government. Earlier, Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph’s brother-in-law was forced to resign from his personal staff following similar public and political criticism.
