The Kerala High Court sharply criticised the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in connection with the Sabarimala gold loot case, making it clear that it is not ready to accept the manner in which the investigation is being carried out.
On January 12, the Court said it cannot accept the explanation that one of the accused is lying in hospital merely because he has been included in the list of accused. The SIT’s action, the Court observed, is unacceptable. Strong criticism was also directed at the Tiruvitamcoor Devaswom Board.
The Court stated in clear terms that the accused has been hospitalised because his son is a senior IPS officer. It expressed strong displeasure over the SIT’s reluctance to arrest K.P. Sankaradas, a former member of the Tiruvitamcoor Devaswom Board.
Sankaradas’s son, an IPS officer, had earlier drawn the ire of Ayyappa devotees during the peak of the Sabarimala agitation in late 2018 and early 2019, when the LDF government attempted to violate temple traditions by facilitating the entry of young women into the shrine with police support.
The High Court made these observations while hearing the bail applications of three accused in the Sabarimala gold loot case. The bail pleas were deferred for the pronouncement of the judgment.
“What nonsense is going on in the State?” the Court asked, adding that it cannot agree with the actions of the investigating officer and does not accept the approach adopted by the SIT. If everything was assigned to Unnikrishnan Potti, the Court asked, what then was the role of the Devaswom Board?
The Court also observed that A. Padmakumar failed to discharge his responsibilities as a Devaswom Board member. This observation was made after the prosecution stated that Unnikrishnan Potti was entrusted with organising the gold plating of the door frame and the Dwarapalaka murtis of the shrine.
The bail applications were filed by Padmakumar, Bellary-based jeweller Gowardhan, and former Sabarimala Executive Officer Murari Babu.
The High Court further raised serious questions about the so-called “sponsors” of Sabarimala. It remarked that the attempt appeared to be to catch big fish by showing small bait. Gowardhan submitted before the Court that he had spent nearly ₹1.40 crore in Sabarimala for various purposes and that he had been in jail for the past 25 days. The SIT opposed this claim, stating that Unnikrishnan Potti, Pankaj Bhandari, and Gowardhan played key roles in the gold loot.
Gowardhan also submitted that he spent ₹35 lakh on making the sanctum sanctorum door and constructing the hundi for devotees’ offerings. Claiming to be an ardent devotee of Bhagwan Ayyappa, he alleged that he had been trapped and was arrested suddenly while sitting before the investigating officers.
Regardless of the arguments advanced, the High Court’s sharp criticism is being seen as a major setback for the CPM-led Left Democratic Front government headed by CM Pinarayi Vijayan and CPM supremo. The observations echoed the anxieties and concerns prevailing among the people of Kerala over the Sabarimala gold loot case.
