THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a big blow to the special investigation team (SIT) probing the Sabarimala gold theft case, the Kollam Vigilance Court has ruled that investigators failed to produce “an iota of evidence” to establish a prima facie case against thantri Kandararu Rajeevaru.
The court had granted bail to the thantri on Wednesday, 41 days after he was arrested by the SIT in the cases registered for theft of gold from the door frames as well as dwarapalaka idols.
The court, in its bail order, said the SIT was unable to establish “any prima facie materials to link the petitioner in the alleged conspiracy by any means”.
It stated that the act of the thantri in not signing the mahazars on May 18, 2019, and July 20, 2019, would destroy the entire case of the SIT regarding criminal conspiracy. The mahazars were prepared after the gilded sheets from the door frames and dwarapalaka idols were removed and handed over to Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused.
Though the thantri had signed another mahazar on July 19 regarding the handing over of the gilded sheets from dwarapalaka idols, the mahazar was prepared in accordance with the Travancore Devaswom Board’s official decision to hand over the artefacts to Potti, the order said.
This, the court said, in the absence of any other incriminating circumstances, was also not a ground to implicate the thantri in the case.
The court also accepted the contention of the thantri that he had no authority over administrative aspects of the board and “cannot sit in judgment over the decision of the TDB”. The SIT had argued that the thantri did not question the move to shift the artefacts out of the temple premises, as it was against the TDB manual.
‘No role in valuables’ upkeep’: Court accepts thantri’s version
However, the thantri’s contention was that both the artefacts moved out were not part of the inner premises of the sanctum sanctorum and not directly related to any rituals.
The court also accepted the thantri’s version that he had no role in the upkeep and maintenance of valuables in Sabarimala.
Regarding the SIT’s contention that they are investigating the suspicious financial transactions of the thantri, the court said, being the thantri of a major temple, he would be getting a huge amount of money as ‘dakshina’ and other perquisites from the devotees.
This fact alone cannot be held as a ground to doubt the complicity of the thantri in the offence, the court said.