Former Travancore Devaswom Board member granted bail in Sabarimala gold case

A court in Kollam on Monday granted bail to former Travancore Devaswom Board member K.P. Sankaradas in two cases linked to the alleged disappearance of gold from the Sabarimala Sree Ayyappa Temple.

The order was passed by Vigilance Court judge Mohit C.S., who allowed bail in cases concerning the reported loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the door frames of the Sreekovil, the temple’s sanctum sanctorum.

With this development, all those arrested in connection with the case have now been released on bail.

Sankaradas, who served as a member of the Travancore Devaswom Board in 2019, was taken into custody by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in January this year. The case relates to gold ornaments that were sent to Chennai for plating, during which the alleged loss is believed to have occurred.

The court granted him statutory bail after 90 days had elapsed since his arrest, as the SIT has yet to file charge sheets in either case.

According to officials, Sankaradas has been named as the 14th accused in the Dwarapalaka idol case and the 11th accused in the matter involving the Sreekovil door frames.

The investigation is being conducted under the supervision of the Kerala High Court, which had earlier ordered the formation of the SIT. The court has also extended the deadline for filing the charge sheet, noting that the inquiry remains at a critical stage, with samples from the artefacts currently under examination with the assistance of central agencies.

With IANS inputs