The Kerala High Court said it is satisfied with the progress of the SIT investigation into the alleged misappropriation of gold at the Sabarimala temple. The court observed that the probe is being properly monitored and rejected demands to hand over the case to the CBI.
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday said that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Sabarimala temple is moving in the right direction and there is no need at present to transfer the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The court made these observations while hearing a group of petitions, including one filed by Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who had requested that the investigation be handed over to the CBI.
A Division Bench comprising Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar noted that it was fully aware of the work being done by the SIT. According to court sources, the judges observed that the team was putting in sincere effort and progressing well with the investigation.
The court’s observations come as a major setback to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) opposition in Kerala. The UDF has been alleging that the Chief Minister’s Office was interfering in the probe and pressurising the SIT, which, according to them, caused delays in filing the charge sheet.
Over the past two days, the UDF has staged protests inside the Kerala Legislative Assembly over the issue. The opposition disrupted House proceedings on both Tuesday and Wednesday by repeatedly raising concerns about the alleged delay and interference in the investigation.
At the same time, the High Court’s positive remarks on the SIT probe have strengthened the stand taken by the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), which has consistently maintained that the investigation is being carried out in a proper and independent manner.
The Bench reportedly stated that the SIT is a competent and capable unit with experienced officers and that the court would not demoralise them by questioning their work without valid reasons. The judges also pointed out that the court is closely monitoring the investigation and is aware of all developments and materials collected so far by the SIT.
The SIT is currently investigating two separate cases related to the alleged theft and misappropriation of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols and the gold-plated door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) of the Sabarimala Temple.
So far, the SIT has arrested 12 persons in connection with the cases. Out of these, three accused have already been released on statutory bail due to the failure to file the charge sheet within the mandatory period of 90 days from the date of arrest.
The prime accused, Unnikrishnan Potty, has also secured statutory bail in both cases. He is expected to be released once he completes the formalities and submits the required bail bonds before the court.
The matter remains under the active supervision of the Kerala High Court, which will continue to monitor the progress of the investigation in the coming days.
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