The Kerala High Court has denied anticipatory bail to S. Sreekumar, former administrative officer of Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) and also to S. Jayasree, former secretary of the board, in the case pertaining to the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Sabarimala temple.
While Mr. Sreekumar had been arraigned as the sixth accused, Ms. Jayasree was the fourth accused in the case registered in this connection by the Crime Branch. The duo had earlier been granted interim protection from arrest. The case is now being probed by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by S. Sasidharan, Superintendent of Police.
‘Serious allegations’
Stating that it was shocked at the events, the court observed that a perusal of prosecution records showed that the allegations were serious and mind-blowing, since the ‘misappropriation’ happened in a sacred place – the Sabarimala Sannidhanam. Referring to businessman Unnikrishnan Potti, the court said he created an aura and enjoyed unbridled freedom to pilfer the deity’s gold, with the connivance of the accused persons.
While denying anticipatory bail to Ms. Jayasree, the court said that her role is well-made-out prima facie and that she could not wriggle out from prosecution. Denying the same to Mr. Sreekumar, the court said that as per the Devaswom board manual, it was his duty to check misappropriation and malpractices in the institution and to have custody of the board’s valuables. He had signed a mahazar wherein the 12 Dwarapalaka plates were stated as made of copper, although they were gold-cladded. Thus, both do not deserve bail. They ought to surrender before the investigating officer and cooperate with the probe, the court added, and went on to vacate the interim order restraining their arrest.
Published – December 04, 2025 08:21 pm IST
