SC notice to Centre on disappearance of temple treasure

The Supreme Court today sought response from the Centre on a petition seeking a CBI probe into the alleged disappearance of unaccountable cash to the tune of Rs 300 crores, 300 kgs gold and some other articles from a temple in Guwahati in 2014.
A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur issued notices to the Centre and Assam government while seeking their reply within six weeks.
On the last date of hearing, the apex court had asked Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh to assist the court in the matter, saying the petition has made some startling revelations.
The petition filed by a former army personnel Manoj Kumar Kaushal had claimed that he had received information in May, 2014, that there was unaccounted money to the tune of Rs 300 crore in cash, 300 kg of gold and two AK-47 rifles in a Kali temple in a tea garden near Dispur Airport of Guwahati.

He had also claimed that one Mridul Bhattacharya, the owner of that tea garden, used to collect money from owners of tea gardens and give it to ULFA and was also involved in smuggling of gold from Burma.
However, Bhattacharya and his wife were murdered under suspicious circumstances in 2012, Kaushal had said.

Further, the petition had said that 13 persons hatched a conspiracy and took away the treasure on May 31, 2014, a day before the army was to recover it.
It said the petitioner had gathered evidence that the treasure had been taken away by the accused persons in conspiracy with higher police officials.

The petitioner had said he had approached several political leaders and some administrative officials after which an Intelligence Bureau inquiry was ordered in the matter, but nothing happened thereafter.
He had further claimed that he had also written letters to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister seeking a CBI inquiry into the matter but nothing was done.