THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kollam Vigilance court has completed hearing on the bail plea moved by thantri Kandararu Rajeevaru in two cases pertaining to Sabarimala gold theft incident.
While the thantri argued that he had authority only over the spiritual matters of the temple and not in its administrative aspects, the special investigation team contended that he had strong ties with Unnikrishnan Potti, the main accused, and opposed the bail plea.
The SIT reportedly told the court that it is yet to fully map the financial dealings of the thantri and enlarging him on bail now would handicap further investigation. It said the investigation so far has revealed that he had stacked large amount of money in various financial institutions as deposits.
A sum of Rs 2.05 crore was found to have been deposited by the thantri in a chit fund which later went bankrupt, while his wife had a deposit of Rs 62 lakh in the same firm. These deposits were not made known to the Income Tax department. The SIT also informed the court that the thantri knew Potti since 2004, much before the latter arrived as an aide for junior priests in Sabarimala.
The thantri vehemently countered the allegations and also argued that Prevention of Corruption Act won’t stand against him as he was not a government employee.
The SIT countered it saying that he had received more than Rs 7 lakh as honorarium from the board in 2024-25 financial year and hence he fell under the category of public servant.
The court will now deliver its verdict on February 18. The court is also likely to pronounce its verdict on the bail plea of former Travancore Devaswom Board president N Vasu on Wednesday.