Kollam Vigilance Court turns down Bail plea in Sabarimala gold loss cases

A court in Kollam on Monday dismissed the bail pleas filed by a former member of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) in connection with two cases linked to the Sabarimala gold loss incident .

Kollam Vigilance Court Judge Mohit C.S. rejected the petitions after examining the medical records of the accused, who is the 15th accused in the case involving the alleged gold loss from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the 11th accused in the case related to gold missing from the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) doorframes .

Advocate G. Mohanraj , appearing for the accused, said bail was sought on medical grounds , but the court declined the request.

The former board member was part of the Travancore Devaswom Board when gold artefacts were allegedly handed over to the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty , for replating in 2019 . He was hospitalised following health issues and was arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on January 14 .

So far, seven accused , including prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty, have been granted bail. Meanwhile, former board member N. Vijayakumar and Ballari-based jeweller Govardhan Roddam have also approached the court seeking bail.

The SIT has informed the Kerala High Court that the chargesheet will be filed before March 31 .