A PIL has been filed in the Madras High Court bench here seeking action against a senior HR and CE department official who allegedly stole a bundle of Rs 1,000 notes while counting the Hundi collection at Chathuragiri Sri Sundaramahalingam temple in August 2013.
When the matter came up for hearing, Justices K K Sasidharan and G R Swaminathan directed the Madurai Superintendent of Police to file the counter or appear in person on August 28.
Petitioner Solaikannan submitted that though a complaint was lodged in June, 2014, about the stealing of the money allegedly by the Deputy Commissioner (temple 'thakkar' and second key holder presently Joint Commissioner) with the act recorded in the CCTV, no action had been taken against him.
In the meanwhile, the official had been promoted as the Joint Commissioner and was now administering the Madurai region under which the Sundaramahalingam temple also comes.
The DC who was allegedly involved in the theft had become the Joint Commissioner and there was the possibility of evidence and witnesses being erased now, he claimed.
The petitioner also charged that Police officials were dragging the case on the ground that Public Prosecutor 's opinion was pending.
Worshippers were making donations on the belief that they would be used for the temple. But if the officials themselves took the money,the people would lose faith and confidence in the system, he said.
Hence, the court should intervene and seek a report from the police on the status of the case.
The court should restrain the official from functioning as the Joint Commissioner. It should also direct the police to investigate the case within a time frame and take action against the accused officer, the petitioner said.
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