Thiruvananthapuram

Prime accused Unnikrishnan Potti in the alleged Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple gold theft case was granted bail on Thursday in a second case, paving the way for his release from jail.

The Vigilance Court in Kollam granted Potti statutory bail in the case relating to the alleged pilferage of gold from the temple’s door frames after the mandatory 90-day period for filing a charge sheet expired. Potti was arrested in October 2025. Arguments on the bail plea concluded on Wednesday.

Potti had earlier secured statutory bail in the Dwarapalaka case. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has yet to file charge sheets in either case.

He is accused of misappropriating gold from the Dwarapalaka idols, sanctum sanctorum, pillars and door frames of the Sabarimala temple. Three other accused — former administrative officer Murari Babu, former executive officer Sudeesh Kumar and former administrative officer S Sreekumar — have also been granted bail.

The SIT is currently working to obtain prosecution sanctions against nine accused in the case. Since the accused are employees of the Travancore Devaswom Board, sanctions are required from both the board and the Kerala government.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan reiterated allegations that the investigation into the Sabarimala gold theft is “moving dangerously off course,” accusing the state government of shielding those involved.

Speaking during a protest by opposition MLAs outside the Assembly, Satheesan said all those who should have been in custody were now free, while others who ought to have been arrested remained untouched.

“It is alarming that the probe is not extending to all key individuals involved. These accused appear to be those most important to the CPI(M) and the government,” he alleged.

Satheesan accused Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of knowingly allowing “illegal intervention” in the investigation, claiming this interference led to accused persons being granted statutory bail despite earlier denials by the High Court and the Supreme Court.

He further alleged that the investigation had reached a dead end, with no recovery of looted ornaments, no collection of crucial evidence and no meaningful progress toward accountability.

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“The people of Kerala are being forced to watch one of the most shocking and shameful incidents fade away without accountability or a logical conclusion,” Satheesan said.