Daijiworld Media Network - Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 13: Murari Babu, former Administrative Officer of the Travancore Devaswom Board and the second accused in the Sabarimala gold scam case, died while undergoing treatment for cancer at a private hospital on Saturday.
A native of Perunna in Changanassery, Murari Babu passed away at Amrita Hospital after battling the illness. His funeral is scheduled to be held at his residence in Perunna at 3 pm on Saturday.
Murari Babu was under investigation in connection with the alleged theft and misappropriation of gold-plated panels removed from the door frames and Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) sculptures at the Sabarimala Temple.
The Special Investigation Team had been probing allegations that gold-plated materials removed from the temple were improperly recorded and subsequently misappropriated. Following his implication in the case, Murari Babu was suspended from service.
During questioning, he reportedly claimed that the decision to record the gold-plated panels as copper was based on a communication received from the temple priest.
Born into a modest family, Murari Babu initially joined the police force as a constable in 1994 but resigned before completing training. He later joined the Travancore Devaswom Board in 1997 and rose through the ranks, serving at several prominent temples, including Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple, Vaikom Mahadeva Temple and Thirunakkara Mahadeva Temple.
The Vigilance wing had alleged that he accumulated assets worth crores of rupees during his tenure despite holding a relatively low-ranking post. Investigators had also examined the construction of a luxury house on his ancestral property in Changanassery.
Apart from the Sabarimala gold case, Murari Babu's tenure was marked by several controversies. Vigilance inquiries were conducted into alleged irregularities in elephant contracts during major temple festivals and cases involving missing gold and silver articles from temple premises.
He also faced allegations related to the handling of a fire incident at Ettumanoor temple and the installation of gold-plated ornaments without the required approvals.
Despite a directive from the Kerala High Court discouraging the posting of officials facing allegations to sensitive positions such as Sabarimala, Murari Babu was later appointed Administrative Officer of the shrine.
Investigators had further alleged that he communicated directly with a private company regarding gold-plating work on the Dwarapalaka sculptures without informing the Devaswom Board.
His death comes while investigations and legal proceedings related to the Sabarimala gold scam and other associated cases remain ongoing.