The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) questioned retired IPS officer AG Ponn Manickavel on Saturday, August 10, in connection with the allegation that he had foisted false cases on officers like Kader Batcha to “quench bureaucratic vengeance.” 

Manickavel is a former Inspector General of Police (Idol Wing) in Tamil Nadu, and was the Special Officer and head of Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Idol Wing cases. In 2022, based on a petition filed by Kader Batcha who alleged a nexus between Manickavel and Deenadayalan (one of the accused in the idol theft cases), the Madras High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the case.

According to reports, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against Manickavel on August 8 under Section 173 (cognisable offence) of the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sahita (BNSS). Manickavel was questioned till evening on August 10 and CBI officials collected documents related to the case. 

The petition filed in the Madras HC by Kader Batcha concerned the Palavoor idol theft case, in which 13 idols were stolen from the Palavoor temple in Tirunelveli district. Out of the 13 idols stolen, four were recovered from the possession of Deenadayalan, the eighth accused in the case. Kader Batcha was also arraigned as an additional accused. 

As per Kader Batcha’s petition, Ponn Manickavel had orchestrated the recording of Deenadayalan’s statement by the magistrate. “(Manickavel) arranged for granting pardon to (Deenadayalan) and allowed him to be exonerated from the grave crime, with an ulterior intention to fix Kader Batcha for an imaginary offence,” the petition said. It also alleged that Manickavel made up a story linking Kader Batcha and Subash Chandra Kapoor, who was the prime accused in his additional final report. 

“In the report, (Manickavel) also gave an undertaking that steps will be taken to get consent from the Republic of Germany to ‘try’ Subhash Chandra Kapoor. However, after two years, he requested the government not to prosecute the extradited offender,” the petition said, alleging that Manickavel’s intention was to fix Kader Batcha in the case.

Kader Batcha had also prayed for the case to be transferred to the CB-CID of the state.

Considering the gravity of the charges, Justice G Jayachandran directed the CBI Director to take cognisance of the two representations filed by the petitioner — on April 20 and June 15, 2019. The judge also urged the CBI director to conduct a preliminary inquiry by appointing an investigating officer not below the rank of DIG. He further transferred the investigation in the case, registered in 2017, from the file of idol wing to the CBI for a fresh probe.

Stating that the allegations cannot be ignored, Justice G Jayachandran said, “This court has no second opinion that this is a case to be investigated by the CBI to unravel the truth and to secure the culprits as well as the recovery of other antique idols, which are still in the alleged possession/control of the prime accused — Subash Chandra Kapoor — against whom the investigation had come to a stand still in view of the alleged opinion given by Manickavel in June, 2019.”