The Kerala High Court has granted temporary protection from arrest to former Travancore Devaswom Board officer S Sreekumar in the Sabarimala gold theft case. He has been named as the sixth accused in the alleged misappropriation of nearly 4 kg of temple gold during repair works.
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday granted interim protection from arrest to former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) administrative officer S Sreekumar, who has been named as an accused in the alleged gold theft case connected to the famous Sabarimala temple.
Justice A Badharudeen passed the order giving temporary relief to Sreekumar and directed that he should not be arrested until the matter is taken up again on Friday, November 28.
The Court provided this protection while considering his plea in relation to the ongoing investigation.
Advocates Renjith Marar and Keshav Raj Nair appeared before the Court on behalf of the accused and argued in support of Sreekumar’s request for interim relief.
The case relates to gold reportedly missing from the Sabarimala temple, specifically from the copper plate coverings of the Dwarapalaka idols and the temple’s door frames. These items had earlier undergone repair and renovation work.
According to the investigation, the prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, was given permission to sponsor and carry out the repair works for these temple items. He is alleged to have misappropriated nearly 4 kg of temple gold during this process.
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The missing gold came to light when the copper plates were measured and checked after the completion of the repair work. Subsequent searches led to the alleged recovery of some of the stolen gold from the house of Potti’s sister.
S Sreekumar has been listed as the sixth accused in this case, which is currently being investigated by a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
This SIT was formed following specific directions issued by the Kerala High Court to ensure a thorough and independent probe into the serious allegations.
Earlier, a Division Bench of the High Court had observed that some Devaswom officials might have played a role in helping Potti carry out what was described as a deceitful scheme.
The Court instructed the SIT to also examine whether offences under the “Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988” could be applied against officials of the Travancore Devaswom Board involved in the matter.
Meanwhile, Unnikrishnan Potti and Travancore Devaswom Board President and CPI(M) leader A Padmakumar have already been arrested in connection with the case and are currently in judicial custody.
The case has drawn significant attention due to the religious importance of the Sabarimala temple and the serious nature of the allegations involving temple property and public officials. Further hearings will take place when the matter is listed again before the High Court on November 28.
Case Title:
S Sreekumar v. State of Kerala.
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