Kerala court rejects bail plea of ex-Devaswom Secretary; SIT seeks scientific inspection at Sabarimala

Pathanamthitta (Kerala), Nov 13
In a major development in the Sabarimala gold theft case, the trial court on Thursday rejected the anticipatory bail application of former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) secretary S. Jayasree, setting the stage for her likely arrest.

The SIT was firm, given the gravity of the charges and the ongoing investigation, that custodial interrogation was essential.

Jayasree, the fourth accused in the case, had earlier approached the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail, which was dismissed early this month on procedural grounds after Justice K. Babu noted that she bypassed the Sessions Court without citing exceptional circumstances.

Following that setback, Jayasree moved the trial court for anticipatory bail, which too was turned down on Thursday.

According to the prosecution, Jayasree, during her tenure as TDB secretary and later as Thiruvabharanam commissioner, colluded to misappropriate temple gold and valuables.

It is alleged that she issued orders entrusting items from the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum) in violation of board decisions, enabling systematic misappropriation.

Jayasree, presently retired and having health issues, was hoping against hope that the Court would look into her health issues and would give her anticipatory bail, but it did not happen.

She might be arrested anytime.

In the SIT’s two FIRs so far, five people have been arrested, including former TDB president Vasu, one serving official, two former officials and prime accused sponsor Unnikrishnan Potti.

On Thursday, another TDB president, A Padmakumar, also a former CPI(M) MLA, was called for interrogation.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the SIT has initiated scientific verification of the Sabarimala Sannidhanam structures as part of evidence collection.

Acting on the High Court directive, the SIT has sought permission from the temple’s Thantri, Mahesh Mohanararu, through the TDB to carry out tests on the door guardian sculptures and gold-plated panels within the shrine.

Officials said the inspection will help determine the authenticity and integrity of the gold-plated sheets.

The examination will also cover metal layers and panels installed during recent temple renovation phases, including those fixed at the start of the current pilgrimage season.

The developments mark an intensification of the investigation, with both judicial and forensic scrutiny tightening around key accused in one of Kerala’s most politically sensitive temple-related corruption cases.