Travancore Devaswom Board's former Administrative Officer and Sabarimala gold scam second accused Murari Babu died at a private hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for cancer, here on Saturday.
Murari Babu was under investigation in connection with the alleged theft of gold-plated panels from the Sabarimala temple's door frames and 'Dwarapalaka' (guardian deity) sculptures.
A native of Perunna in Changanassery, ge died at Amrita Hospital after being diagnosed with cancer.
The funeral will be held at his residence in Perunna at 3 pm on Saturday.
The Special Investigation Team had been probing allegations that gold-plated panels removed from Sabarimala were allegedly misappropriated.
Murari Babu, who was suspended from service after being named an accused, had claimed during questioning that the recording of the gold panels as copper was based on a letter from the temple priest.
Born into a financially modest family, Murari Babu joined the police as a constable in 1994 but quit before completing training.
He later joined the Travancore Devaswom Board in 1997 and rose through the ranks, serving at major temples including Ettumanoor, Vaikom, and Thirunakkara.
The Vigilance wing had alleged that Murari Babu accumulated assets worth crores during his tenure in the TDB despite holding a low-level post.
Investigators had also looked into the construction of a luxury house at his ancestral property in Changanassery.
Several other controversies had also surrounded his tenure.
Vigilance had probed alleged irregularities in elephant contracts during major temple festivals and cases involving missing gold and silver articles from temple premises.
He had also faced allegations over the handling of a fire incident at the Ettumanoor temple and the fixing of gold-plated ornaments without approval.
Despite a High Court directive against posting employees facing allegations in sensitive positions like Sabarimala, Murari Babu was later appointed Administrative Officer there.
The Vigilance had also found that he allegedly communicated with a private company regarding gold-plating work on the Dwarapalaka sculptures without informing the Devaswom Board.
His death came at a time when investigations and legal proceedings in the Sabarimala gold-related cases are still continuing.
Devaswom Special Government Pleader K.B. Pradeep, whose appointment had created a major embarrassment for the V.D. Satheesan-led UDF government, resigned on Saturday.
The resignation came after Chief Minister sought his removal amid criticism over appointing the lawyer of a company linked to the Sabarimala gold theft case to handle crucial Devaswom matters.
Pradeep's appointment as Special Government Pleader for the Devaswom Department in the Kerala High Court had triggered a political storm, with opposition parties questioning the propriety of giving a key legal position to a lawyer who had represented Smart Creations, a Chennai-based company under scrutiny in the Sabarimala gold scam case.
The controversy intensified as the government had created the post of Special Government Pleader, a position that did not exist earlier, with critics alleging that the post was created specifically for Pradeep.
Until now, the Devaswom Department had only a Senior Government Pleader.
Smart Creations had come under the scanner of investigators in connection with the alleged theft of gold from the Sabarimala temple's gold-plated structures.
The company was linked to the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, with allegations that panels removed from the shrine were taken to its facility, where the gold was separated and allegedly diverted for other works.
Pradeep had earlier appeared before the media defending Smart Creations, arguing that there was no wrongdoing and that the company did not have the technical facility to add gold over an already gold-plated surface.
Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan's defence of the appointment added to the controversy.
His remark that "someone who knows the weaknesses of the accused can be useful" drew sharp criticism from the Opposition, which said the statement appeared to justify appointing a lawyer associated with the defence side to represent the government.
Former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday slammed the way things are going in the new administration, saying that the appointment of Pradeep "explains everything".
The resignation is the second controversy to hit the new UDF government over appointments.
Earlier, Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph's brother-in-law had resigned from his personal staff following criticism over his appointment.
