Sabarimala gold loss: Kerala High Court rejects Pankaj Bhandari's plea against arrest

Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday dismissed a plea moved by the CEO of Chennai-based Smart Creations, where the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols of Sabarimala were taken for gold plating, challenging his arrest in the case of alleged misappropriation of gold from the Lord Ayyappa shrine.

Justice A Badharudeen rejected the plea of Smart Creations CEO Pankaj Bhandari, who had also sought that he be released from custody.

The detailed order is awaited.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Dwarapalaka idols and the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) has claimed that Bhandari and Ballari-based jeweller Govardhan Roddam played a central role in a conspiracy to steal gold from artefacts of the Sabarimala temple.

The SIT had alleged that Bhandari and Roddam, along with first accused Unnikrishnan Potty, planned the theft of gold that was entrusted to them for electroplating work.