Two more accused in Sabarimala gold theft case get bail

KOLLAM

The Kollam Vigilance court on Thursday granted statutory bail to two more accused in the Sabarimala gold theft case. Govardhan, a jewellery shop owner from Bellary, and Pankaj Bhandari, owner of the Chennai-based Smart Creations, walked out of jail as the special investigation team (SIT) failed to file a chargesheet within the mandatory 90-day period.

With this, 10 of the 12 accused in the case have now managed to secure bail. Among those previously released on statutory bail are first accused Unnikrishnan Potti, former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) administrative officer Murari Babu, former TDB executive officer D. Sudheesh Kumar, former TDB president and commissioner N. Vasu, former TDB executive officer S. Sreekumar, and former TDB president Padmakumar. Tantri Kandararu Rajeevaru and former Thiruvabharanam commissioner K.S. Baiju had been granted regular bail by the court earlier.

The SIT at present holds only two accused in custody – former Devaswom board members N. Vijayakumar and K.P. Sankaradas. However, Mr. Vijayakumar is expected to complete his 90-day remand period next week.

While the SIT maintains that the release of the accused could potentially hamper the ongoing investigation, the team is yet to submit even a preliminary chargesheet to the court.

The Devaswom Bench of the High Court has taken a firm stance on the matter, directing the SIT to submit a comprehensive and flawless chargesheet by March 31.