Kollam (Kerala), Feb 5 (PTI) A court here on Thursday granted statutory bail to Unnikrishnan Potty in the second case related to the Sabarimala gold loss incident.

Kollam Vigilance Court Judge Mohit C S granted bail to Potty in the case pertaining to the loss of gold from the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum).

The bail was granted as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case failed to file a charge sheet within 90 days of Potty’s arrest, making him eligible for statutory bail.

Potty had earlier been granted statutory bail in the case related to the loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idol plates.

With bail granted in both cases, Potty will be released from jail.

He is the first accused in both cases and becomes the fourth arrested person to be released from custody in connection with the incident.

It was Potty who had approached the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) seeking permission for replating gold-clad artefacts, which was later approved in 2019.

The artefacts were subsequently taken to Smart Creations, a Chennai-based firm, where the gold plating was carried out.

The SIT has claimed that gold was diverted from the artefacts during the replating process.

The court also extended the remand of Tantri (chief priest) Kandararu Rajeevaru, who was produced through video conferencing.

Rajeevaru has filed a bail petition, which will be considered on February 9.

Meanwhile, former TDB Thiruvabharanam Commissioner K S Baiju has approached the Vigilance Court seeking statutory bail in both cases.

Baiju is the seventh accused in the Dwarapalaka gold loss case and the fourth accused in the Sreekovil doorframe gold loss case.

His bail petition will be considered on February 11.

The Kerala High Court, which had directed the constitution of the SIT to probe the Sabarimala gold loss incident, had recently expressed satisfaction over the progress of the investigation, even as some of the accused became eligible for statutory bail due to delays in filing the charge sheets.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also probing a money laundering case related to the gold loss case. PTI TBA TBA ADB