Actress, astrologer to be charged in Sabari case

10 November,2010 01:22 PM IST |   |  PTI

Four years after her claim of touching the idol of Lord Ayyappa in Sabarimala temple which triggered a raging storm, Kerala police is all set to file a chargesheet against Kannada actor Jaimlala, astroleger Unnikirshnan and his aid Raghupathi later this month


Four years after her claim of touching the idol of Lord Ayyappa in Sabarimala temple which triggered a raging storm, Kerala police is all set to file a chargesheet against Kannada actor Jaimlala, astroleger Unnikirshnan and his aid Raghupathi later this month. Jaimala and others would be charged under Section 295A of IPC for deliberate and malicious act intended to outrage religious feeling, highly placed police sources here said.

The chargesheet would be filed in the First Class Judicial Magistrate Court in Ranni in Pthanamthitta district before November 15, sources said. Jaimala would figure as the third accused in the case in which the astrologer and his Bangalore-based 'aid' would be the first and second accused, sources aid.

It was in 2006 June that Jaimala dropped a bombshell saying she had, in her prime of youth, entered the sanctum sanctorum of the hillshrine and even touched the idol of the presiding deity, defying the ban on women of 10-50 age to worship in the temple. Jaimala had faxed her claim to the devaswom office when an astrological examination of the conduct of the temple affairs was on under the leadership of Unnikrishnan.

The astrologer had claimed that the poojas and rituals of the srine were not performed with due sanctity and there were even signs of the idol having touched by a woman. It was in this backdrop that Jaimala made the claim that she had visited the temple when she was just 18 and she wanted to do penance for that.

With the incident raising a raging storm for months, the government ordered a crime branch probe. The inquiry,as part of which the actor was questioned in Bangalore, reached the conclusion that her claim of having tossed into the sanctum sanctorum by the onrush of devotees appeared most illogical and implausible.

However,the whole episode could be the result of a conspiracy to buttress the claim of the astrologer of the poor state of temple affairs, in which the two others also got involved.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
Jaimala Kannada actress Aiyappan statue controversy Sabari Malai