CID, ACB submit sealed reports to High Court
- HC receives sealed investigation reports from the CID and ACB concerning alleged irregularities in the TTD Parakamani theft case
- Court rejects the request of the key accused's lawyer for copies of the reports and schedules the next hearing for the following Friday
- The probe was ordered by the HC in response to a petition claiming the original case, involving the theft of $920 by a TTD employee in April 2023 and later settled in a Lok Adalat, was closed without proper inquiry
Tirupati: The High Court received sealed-cover investigation reports from both the Crime Investigation Department (CID) and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in the case involving irregularities at the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Parakamani.
CID additional director general Ravi Sankar Ayyanar, who supervised the Special Investigation Team, personally submitted the CID’s findings. The court is expected to continue its hearing on the matter on Friday.
During the proceedings, the lawyer representing the key accused, Pedda Jeeyar Mutt employee C V Ravi Kumar, asked the court to provide copies of the reports filed by the two agencies. Justice Gannamaneni Ramakrishna Prasad rejected the request and scheduled the next hearing for the following Friday.
The reinvestigation began after the High Court, responding to a petition filed by Tirupati journalist Macherla Srinivas, ordered the CID and ACB on October 27 to reopen the case and submit their conclusions in sealed covers. The petitioner had claimed that the theft case was closed without a proper inquiry after being moved to the Lok Adalat.
Following the court’s directions, teams from both agencies questioned several witnesses as well as individuals connected to the case over a period of 34 days. Their reports were handed over to the High Court at the end of this process.
The case dates back to April 2023, when TTD employee Ravi Kumar was found stealing US$920 from the Parakamani, the unit where temple offerings are counted. The theft case, initially registered at the Tirumala police station, was later shifted to the Lok Adalat. In September 2023, the dispute was settled after Ravi Kumar agreed to donate seven properties valued at around Rs 14 crore, located in Tirupati and Chennai, to the temple.
This compromise and the subsequent closure of the case led to concerns about the lack of a complete investigation, prompting the petition that sought judicial intervention.
As part of the fresh inquiry, the SIT questioned several senior figures connected with the TTD. Those examined included former chairpersons Bhumana Karunakar Reddy and Y V Subba Reddy, along with former executive officer A V Dharma Reddy and multiple officials from the TTD, police and the vigilance departments. It may be recalled here that YV Subba Reddy was the TTD chairman when Ravi Kumar gifted seven properties to the temple.
