Andhra Pradesh High Court Orders CID and ACB Investigation Into Tirupati Temple Donation Theft Case

Amaravati:

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has instructed the state's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to file an FIR and initiate legal proceedings regarding the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Parakamani donation box theft case.

Both the CID and ACB have been instructed to continue their investigation into the theft incident, the suspect's assets, and the previous settlement reached at the Lok Adalat.

The investigative agencies have been directed to share all gathered information among themselves and, if necessary, with the Income Tax Department and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to support the comprehensive investigation mandated by the high court.

The court has taken notice of the suspicious death of Y Satish Kumar, the de facto complainant in the case who worked with the TTD vigilance department. His body was discovered on November 14 beside railway tracks in Anantpur district. The court has ordered the CID to submit the postmortem report in a sealed cover within three days.

The High Court has scheduled the next hearing for December 16.

The CID has already conducted interrogations of former TTD chairman and ex-YSRCP MLA B Karunakar Reddy, former TTD chairman and YSRCP MP YV Subba Reddy, and former TTD executive officer AV Dharma Reddy.

This case originated on April 29, 2023, when CV Ravi Kumar, an employee at a mutt affiliated with TTD, was reportedly caught stealing $900 from the Parakamani hall, which serves as the temple's donation-counting center. Initially, the theft case was registered at the local police station.

However, the case was subsequently diverted to a "compromise" settlement through mediation at a Lok Adalat. Under this arrangement, Ravi Kumar allegedly offered to donate seven properties, valued at approximately Rs 40 crore, to TTD in Tirupati and Chennai as "restitution."