The Kerala High Court on Tuesday harshly criticised the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the Sabarmala temple gold loot, for failing to file the charge sheet in the case within the mandatory 90-day period. This procedural delay has allowed key accused individuals to obtain statutory (natural) bail, which the court warned could create public doubt regarding the integrity of the investigation.
A single bench of Justice Badaruddin criticised the SIT while considering a petition filed by Pankaj Bhandari, CEO, Smart Creations, an accused in the case, seeking his release from jail by quashing his inclusion as an accused in the case. The bench said that the delay in filing charge sheets allowed accused persons to walk free on statutory bail. The court questioned the SIT’s efficiency and hinted at potential protection of high-ranking individuals involved in the systematic removal of gold from temple structures.
Former devaswom administrative officer Murari Babu, an accused in the Dwarapalaka and the door frames cases, was released on statutory bail the other day. Unnikrishnan Potti, the main accused in both cases, had been granted bail in the Dwarapalaka case. On February 2, it will be 90 days since Potti was arrested in the door frame case as well. He may also walk free after February 2. It was in this context that the criticism came from the court against the Special Investigation Team(SIT).
Expressing serious concern over the situation in which the accused are getting statutory bail, the court asked why the SIT had not submitted the charge sheet despite the gravity of the case, which involves the “organised plunder” of approximately 4.5 kgs of gold from temple idols and door frames.
The Court said that the SIT’s failure to prevent statutory bail for those previously denied regular bail is a “serious situation” that might lead the public to suspect a compromised probe. The court observed that these lapses will create suspicion and erode public confidence in the investigation.
Opposition leader in the Kerala assembly, VD Satheesan, alleged that the delay was due to interference from the Chief Minister’s Office. Earlier, Satheesan had come out against the SIT probing the Sabarimala gold theft case, stating that the accused in the case got bail because of the lapse on the part of the investigation team. He alleged that the SIT is not properly doing its duties, and the gold lost from Sabarimala has not been fully recovered.