Ex-CAG Vinod Rai begins audit of Padmanabhaswamy temple

Former CAG Vinod Rai, who was asked by the Supreme Court to undertake the audit of the properties, assets and accounts of the past 25 years of the Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple here, began his preliminary work Monday.

Last month, an apex court bench of Justice R.M. Lodha and Justice A.K. Patnaik entrusted the administration of the temple to a five-member committee headed by a city judge. The decision was based on a report by amicus curiae Gopal Subramaniam that things were not fine under the present administration led by the erstwhile Travancore royal family.

The bench asked Rai to conduct an audit of the temple's accounts for the past quarter of century.

Rai, who arrived in the city Sunday night, went to the temple complex Monday and held discussions with the five-member committee.

Sources said the former comptroller and auditor general (CAG) will be in the temple for another two days and by that time he will be ready with a roadmap for the audit.

The apex court also appointed K.N. Satish, a senior Indian Administrative Service officer and former administrator of the Guruvayur temple, as the executive officer of the Padmanabhaswamy temple.

The court also ordered that the keys of the Padmanabhaswamy temple be handed over to a judge in the state capital.

Principal Additional Sessions Judge K.P. Indira took charge as the head of the temple administration April 26.