Kerala High Court Rejects Bail Pleas in Sabarimala Gold Theft Case (Source: X)
The Kerala High Court on Thursday declined to grant anticipatory bail to S. Sreekumar, the former Administrative Officer of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), who has been named as the 6th accused in the ongoing Sabarimala gold theft investigation. The Court also turned down the bail application of S. Jayasree, former Secretary of the TDB and the 4th accused in the case.
According to the FIR registered by the Crime Branch, the two former officials have been booked under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including:
Section 120B – Criminal conspiracy
Section 403 – Dishonest misappropriation of property
Section 406 – Criminal breach of trust
Section 409 – Breach of trust by a public servant
Section 467 – Forgery of valuable security
Section 34 – Acts done with common intention
These provisions indicate that the allegations involve serious financial and administrative misconduct.
The case is currently being handled by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) appointed by a Division Bench of the High Court. The Court had earlier highlighted the need to investigate the larger conspiracy linked to discrepancies in the recorded weight of gold in the Dwarapalaka idols and side frames at the Sabarimala temple.
Acting on this direction, the SIT added several former TDB officials to the list of accused, including Sreekumar and Jayasree.
Both former officials had previously received limited protection from arrest while the Court examined their anticipatory bail pleas. The hearings took place in-camera, after which the Court reserved its decision.
On Thursday, Justice A. Badharudeen rejected both anticipatory bail pleas. A detailed judgment explaining the reasoning behind the order will be released soon.
The Sabarimala gold theft case centers around alleged irregularities involving the gold-plated Dwarapalaka idols and side structures of the famous Sabarimala temple. The investigation gained momentum after the SIT recorded significant statements from the temple’s head priest.
Key findings during investigation:
The role of Unnikrishnan Potti
Details about how gold-plated sheets were removed
Questions over the approval process
Suspected mismanagement and irregularities within the TDB
These developments suggest a wider conspiracy and deeper administrative lapses than initially believed.
