Ponn Manickavel Age, Children, Family, Biography

Quick Info→

Age: 66 Years

Marital Status: Married

Hometown: Madurai

Bio/Wiki
Other Name	Pon Manickavel
Full Name	A.G. Ponn Manickavel
Profession	Indian Police Service Officer
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 8" (173 cm)
Eye Colour	Brown
Hair Colour	Bald
Civil Service
Service	Indian Police Service (IPS)
Batch	1996
Cadre	Tamil Nadu
Service Years	1996 - 2018
Major Designation(s)	• Deputy Inspector General of Police, Tiruchi Range and Inspector General of Police Railways • Deputy Inspector General of Police of the Idol Wing CID in Chennai (11 February 2012 - September 2017) • Inspector General of Police of Idol Wing, Economic Offences Wing of Tamil Nadu Police (September 2017 - November 2018)
Personal Life
Date of Birth	25 November 1958 (Tuesday)
Age (as of 2024)	66 Years
Birthplace	Arasampatti Village, Madurai District, Tamil Nadu
Zodiac sign	Sagittarius
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Educational Qualification(s)	• BBA • MA • MSW
Religion	Hinduism
Controversy	Arrested for falsely accusing a police officer in an idol theft case: In 2024, Ponn Manickavel was accused of falsely accusing the former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kader Batcha in a idol theft case which later led to Batcha's arrest. Later, Batcha filed a case against Ponn in the Madras High Court following which the court ordered further investigation into the incident. Manickavel later filed a counter-petition in which he claimed that his house was raided by CBI and many of his properties were sealed on 10 August. He also claimed that the actions taken by the CBI were illegal and were only done to ruin his reputation. ^[1]The Times of India
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Family
Children	Daughter- Dr. Pakiyalakshmi
Parents	Father- Sombuthevar (Civil Servant) Mother- Kasambuammal

Some Lesser Known Facts About Ponn Manickavel

According to Ponn, he was highly disciplined during his school time. From a young age, Ponn aspired to become a civil servant but did not want to become a police officer.

Ponn Manickavel is known for his work in retrieving hundreds of valuable stolen idols from Hindu temples across the country.

He has often been in the news for calling out many irregularities in the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department. The department controls 37,425 temples, 56 mutts or religious orders, 47 temples belonging to mutts, 1721 specific Endowments and 189 trusts.

In 2018, he led a team of the Idol Wing (CID) and retrieved two bronze statues of King Rajarajasolan and his queen Lokamadevi. Each of the statues was worth more than Rs. 100 crore in the international market. The antique statues belonged to the Big Temple in Thanjavur.

On 22 March 2018, he registered a case claiming that the 3000-year-old Navabashana idol in the Arulmigu Dhandayuthapaniswamy Temple (Palani temple) which was replaced with a newly sculpted Panchaloha idol in 2004 as the old idol was “wearing off” was replaced only because it was smuggled internationally.
Ponn Manickavel posing with the recovered Panchaloha idols at Sholavandan Police Station in Madurai district

Three days after the case was registered, Chief Sthapathi (temple sculptor) of the Palani temple was arrested. Later, the Navabashana idol was retrieved and replaced.

In the same year, he was appointed as the special officer for one year to complete idol theft cases in Tamil Nadu by the Madras High Court.

During his tenure as the Inspector General of Police of Idol Wing in Tamil Nadu, he often made the news for being in feuds with the government over idol theft cases.

In January 2019, the Madras High Court issued a warning against the Tamil Nadu government for providing all the required facilities to Manickavel to allow him to carry out his investigations as a Special Officer concerning various idol theft cases. The Madras High Court also claimed they would implement a judicial emergency if the government failed to agree to the court’s orders.

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