THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid continuing political slug-fest over the Sabarimala gold theft, Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused and the first person to be arrested, walked out of jail on Thursday after the Special Investigation Team (SIT) failed to submit the chargesheet in the case within 90 days of his arrest.
The Opposition UDF and the BJP stepped up their attack on the Left front over the development. While the UDF alleged that the accused persons were being released together to destroy evidence, the BJP reiterated its demand for a CBI probe into the theft.
The Kollam Vigilance Court granted Potti conditional bail in the case pertaining to the theft of gold from the door frames of the temple’s sanctum sanctorum. He had earlier secured bail in the alleged misappropriation of gold from dwarapalaka idols on similar grounds. In the wake of the latest order, Potti was released from the Poojappura Special Sub-Jail by evening.
While granting him bail, the court directed Potti to surrender his passport and barred him from leaving the state without approval.
Ahead of Potti, three co-accused — former Sabarimala administrative officer Murari Babu, former Sabarimala executive officer Sudeesh Kumar, and former administrative officer S Sreekumar — had obtained statutory bail.
Meanwhile, political tussle over the Sabarimala theft row reached a flashpoint with the assembly witnessing a stormy confrontation between the LDF and UDF on the day.
Oppn accuses CMO of exerting pressure
Determined to maintain momentum in the issue, the UDF targeted the chief minister, and alleged the accused were being released together to destroy evidence, while also accusing the government of collusion. The ruling front countered by saying Congress was afraid of investigations reaching places linked to its past tenure.
In Kochi, BJP state president Rajeev Chadrasekhar, alleging that the SIT probe was a drama, asserted that the chief minister should refer the case to CBI. “Four months after the SIT started its investigation, the key accused has been released on bail. The home department is under the CM and he said the gold theft was just a flaw. They are weakening the case,” he told reporters. In the assembly, the UDF and LDF members carried posters featuring the prime accused alongside leaders from the opposite camp. UDF members paraded images of Potti with the CM, while LDF legislators carried posters of the accused with Sonia Gandhi.
At the beginning of the Question Hour, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan reaffirmed the UDF’s decision to boycott assembly proceedings. He alleged that the SIT probe was deliberately avoiding a key accused connected to the CPM.
“The chief minister’s office is exerting pressure on the investigation. Not even a preliminary chargesheet has been filed after 90 days. This delay will help the accused secure bail and tamper with evidence,” he alleged.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister M B Rajesh hit back, accusing the Opposition of evading debate.
“The government is ready to discuss the issue, but the Opposition fears the discussion as it knows it will be exposed for allowing the theft to happen. It was during the UDF rule that the main accused gained entry to Sabarimala,” the minister said.