Devaswom Department Special Pleader Resigns Amid Controversy; Fresh Embarassment for UDF

Thiruvananthapuram: The UDF government has faced fresh embarrassment as K B Pradeep, appointed as Special Pleader for the Devaswom Department, has resigned — mirroring the manner in which Benny Thomas, brother-in-law of Minister Sunny Joseph, was made to quit his Additional Private Secretary post.

The appointment of K B Pradeep had triggered a major controversy as he is the lawyer representing Pankaj Bhandari, CEO of Chennai-based Smart Creations — the firm accused of extracting gold from the sanctum sanctorum door and threshold of Sabarimala temple. Appointing the accused's own lawyer as Special Government Pleader for the Devaswom Department was widely condemned.

Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan revealed that Chief Minister V D Satheesan had personally created a non-existent post to facilitate the appointment, and defended it with the unusual argument that having a lawyer who knows the accused's weaknesses was an advantage. Faced with ridicule over the remark, Satheesan moved to contain the damage by asking for the resignation.