Sabarimala gold missing row: Kerala court rejects bail plea of Ex-TDB President

Kollam: A vigilance court in Kerala on Wednesday dismissed the bail plea of former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president N. Vasu, who is an accused in the case related to the disappearance of gold from the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) of the Lord Ayyappa shrine.

The Kollam vigilance court rejected Vasu's plea seeking bail on health grounds, and on the argument that he had no role in the disappearance of gold from the Sreekovil door frames, a lawyer associated with the case said.

Vasu was arrested in November, marking the first high-profile arrest in the case, which is being probed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of the Kerala High Court.

The SIT is investigating two cases: one involving gold lost from the gold-cladded plates of the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idols, and the other concerning the Sreekovil door frames. So far, the SIT has arrested six persons, including prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty, Vasu, and former TDB president A. Padmakumar, in connection with the two cases.