Sabarimala gold heist | Head priest gets bail; Opposition steps up allegation of sabotaging probe

Thiruvananthapuram: With Sabarimala Ayyappa temple 'tantri' (traditional head priest) Kandararu Rajeevaru getting bail in the temple gold heist case on Wednesday, allegations that the ongoing probe was being sabotaged gained more steam.

Rajeevaru was granted bail by the Vigilance court in Kollam around 40 days after his arrest. Even as the prosecution objected to the bail, the court granted the bail reportedly on the grounds that there was no strong evidence to prove his direct involvement in the gold heist or the accused.

Many others, including key accused Bengaluru-based Malayali Unnikrishnan Potti, had earlier got bail by default as charge-sheet was not filed within 90 days of arrest.

The SIT arrested Rajeevaru on January 9 accusing that he colluded with the others accused and gave tantric permission to carry out gold plating of the door frames of the sanctum sanctorum and the Dwarapalaka sculptures. He was also accused of not reporting to the devaswom authorities that the temple objects should not be taken away from the temple premises as per tantric norms.

However, the SIT could not produce strong evidence that links the tantri with the accused or the gold heist even as huge bank deposits of the tantri were found.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan said that they had already raised the concern that the probe was being sabotaged as CPM members were also involved in it. "There was no surprise that the accused were getting bail. Once all the accused are out, the evidence in the case would also be tampered with and the investigation will remain as a farce," said Satheesan.

The BJP was already seeking a CBI probe into the gold heist. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Thiruvananthapuram last month that once the BJP comes to power in Kerala, all involved in the Sabarimala gold theft will be jailed, Union home minister had said that there were loopholes for the accused in the FIR registered by the SIT and hence probe by a 'neutral agency' was required.