A division bench comprising Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar observed that the SIT probe into the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Sabarimala temple was progressing well and hence there was no need to hand over the investigation to the CBI.
Photo: IANS
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday expressed satisfaction with the probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the sensational Sabarimala gold theft case, stating that the investigation is proceeding in the right direction and assured that no accused will be allowed to go scot-free.
A division bench comprising Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and K V Jayakumar observed that the SIT probe into the alleged misappropriation of gold from the Sabarimala temple was progressing well and hence there was no need to hand over the investigation to the CBI.
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The court made the observation while hearing a batch of petitions, including one filed by BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, seeking a CBI inquiry into the theft of temple gold, including parts of the Dwarapalaka idols and the sanctum sanctorum.
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The court stressed that no accused would escape just because he was granted statutory bail due to the fact that the charge sheet in the case was not filed in the stipulated time. No one, who committed the crime, will escape the law, the court added.
The bench said that the SIT was a good unit with competent officers and the judiciary would not “demoralise them by questioning their work.” It underlined that it was actively monitoring the investigation and was aware of all the things unearthed by the SIT.
The SIT has so far made 12 arrests in the case. Of the arrested accused, three are out on statutory bail due to the delay in filing the charge sheet within the stipulated time of 90 days from arrest. Prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty has also secured statutory bail in both cases and is expected to be released once bail formalities are completed.
The high court’s observations come as a setback to the Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), which has been alleging interference by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) in the investigation. They alleged that the undue delay in filing the charge sheet in the case was because of the interference of the CMO.
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