Sabarimala gold heist: SIT moves Kerala HC against bail granted to tanthri Kandararu Rajeevararu

Kochi: Special investigation team (SIT) probing the alleged gold heist cases at the Sabarimala temple has approached high court seeking to quash the order of the enquiry commissioner and special judge (vigilance), Kollam, granting bail to Kandararu Rajeevararu, the tanthri of the temple and an accused in the case.SIT has also sought the expunging of adverse remarks made by the bail court against the investigation, contending that the observations were unwarranted and prejudicial to the probe. HC will consider the petition next week. Rajeevararu was arrested on Jan 16 in two cases related to the alleged misappropriation of gold from the gold-clad copper plate coverings of the dwarapalaka idols and other valuables of the sreekovil of the temple. He was later granted bail on Feb 18.Granting bail to Rajeevararu, the special court observed that the allegation of criminal conspiracy against the petitioner was not supported by any prima facie material at that stage of the investigation. The court further noted that no iota of evidence had been adduced by SIT to establish any direct nexus between the petitioner and the first accused at that stage, apart from the bald averment that there existed a close relationship between them.SIT has mainly challenged these observations and pointed out certain facts that allegedly indicate Rajeevararu's connection with the crime. According to SIT's petition, the request made by the tanthri for the replating of the copper plate coverings and the proposal submitted by the first accused, Unnikrishnan Potti, for the same were typed and generated from the same computer in the office of the executive officer. The SIT further alleged that, despite being aware that the artefacts were gold-clad, the tanthri had signed the mahazar in which they were described merely as copper plates. It was also alleged that Rajeevararu had served as tanthri at the Sabarimala temple in 1998, when the gold cladding work on the copper plates had begun, and was therefore aware that the plates were gold-cladded and that such valuables could not be transported outside the temple premises.Additionally, SIT alleged that the tanthri had crores of rupees invested illegally with a private firm, and that further investigation is underway to unearth more details regarding his alleged illegal enrichment.