THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kollam Vigilance Court on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of former Travancore Devaswom Board president and CPM leader A Padmakumar, ruling that he cannot escape responsibility in the Sabarimala gold theft case.
Padmakumar had moved the court seeking bail in connection with the alleged theft of gold from the dwarapalaka idols at the Sabarimala temple. His bail plea in the earlier ‘door frame plates’ case had already been dismissed by both the Vigilance Court and the High Court.
In his plea, Padmakumar argued that the entire Devaswom Board bore collective responsibility for the decision to hand over the gold sheets to Unnikrishnan Potti.
However, the court observed that Padmakumar, as the board president at the relevant time, could not absolve himself of responsibility for the alleged act.
The Vigilance Court’s decision was based on the submissions and evidence placed before it by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) regarding Padmakumar’s role in the case. The prosecution also contended that all board members serving at the time were allegedly involved in the gold theft.
With the rejection of his bail plea, Padmakumar will continue to remain in judicial custody.