The Kerala High Court on Wednesday initiated a probe into the controversial exhumation of a 69-year-old man’s body in Neyyattinkara, whose family insists had attained ‘samadhi’. Justice C.S. Dias, while seeking responses from the state government and police, decided not to impede the ongoing investigation, emphasizing the need to clarify the circumstances surrounding the man’s demise.
The court issued a directive to the authorities after dramatic protests from the family and local residents who opposed police efforts to unearth the body of Gopan Swami, claiming he had spiritually transcended physical death. Despite the family’s spiritual assertions, the court requested Gopan Swami’s death certificate, stating that in its absence, his death would be presumed unnatural.
During the hearing, Justice Dias addressed Gopan Swami’s widow, Sulochana, who had filed a plea against local authorities and police for attempting to dismantle the samadhi site. The widow was questioned about her concerns regarding the investigation and the exact nature of her husband’s death. The matter has been scheduled for further consideration next week.
The controversy erupted earlier this week in Neyyattinkara, Thiruvananthapuram district, following the circulation of posters near Swami’s residence declaring his attainment of samadhi. This declaration led to a police inquiry after local residents voiced suspicions of foul play in his death. The Neyyattinkara police, following an order from the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), decided to exhume the body for a post-mortem examination.
Gopan Swami’s son, Rajasenan, supported his father’s claims, stating that Swami had walked to the burial site around 11:30 pm last Friday and consciously entered a state of samadhi. According to Rajasenan, his father had previously instructed the family to keep his body secluded from public view and bury it at the site, which Swami himself had prepared next to a temple he established on his property at Kavuvilakam.
