The Kerala High Court on Friday refused to grant bail to former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president N Vasu and two former senior officials in connection with the alleged loss of gold from the Lord Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala.
Justice A Badharudeen dismissed the bail pleas filed by Vasu, former Thiruvabharanam Commissioner K S Baiju, and former TDB administrative officer B Murari Babu. The detailed orders of the court are awaited.
The three accused are facing investigation in cases relating to the disappearance of gold from key structures of the Sabarimala temple, including the gold-clad plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) and the door frames of the Sreekovil, the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine.
The probe is being conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the High Court. So far, the SIT has registered two cases concerning the alleged removal of gold from the temple premises.
According to the investigation, the loss is linked to gold plates that were removed for electroplating in 2019. The SIT is proceeding on the premise that the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, unlawfully removed the gold after it was taken for the electroplating process.
In addition to Potty, two former presidents of the Travancore Devaswom Board and four former employees of the Board have been arrested in the case till now. The investigation into the alleged misappropriation of temple gold is ongoing.
