Gold theft: Ex-HR&CE dept official gets bail

Madurai: Former commissioner of Hindu religious and charitable endowments (HR&CE) department, P Dhanapal, named co-accused in the conspiracy to steal gold from Palani Dhandayudhapaniswamy temple, was granted bail by the Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Thursday. However, the former government official has little to cheer as the bail conditions laid down by the court keeps him almost under house arrest.

Earlier, the government counsel argued that granting bail to the official would act as an impediment in the ongoing investigations and sought to quash the petition.

Justice G R Swaminathan, after hearing the arguments, granted bail to the retired HR&CE official, with conditions. The 62-year-old has been directed to stay at Kumbakonam along with a police escort for a period of 60 days.

“For the entire period, he has been restrained from using his personal mobile phone or landline. For purposes of communication, he shall use the phone of the police escort,” according to Dhanapal’s counsel N Sudalaimuthu.

Further, the court also laid down that Dhanapal would have to spend from his own pocket for the expenses of his stay and that of the police escort during the period and directed to appear before the idol wing police for investigation as and when required during the period. Dhanapal has also been directed to surrender his passport to the authorities.

Dhanapal was booked along with former sthapathi Muthiah, former joint commissioner K K Raja and three others by the idol wing police for allegedly misappropriating gold worth over 100kg.

“The entire allegations are presumption without any iota of material. Presumption and assumption cannot be a ground to register a case,” according to Dhanapal’s bail petition.